The government announced a ban on public alcohol consumption in departments under red alert, while Paris police deployed additional river patrols to prevent drownings and prohibited undeclared gatherings along parts of the Seine River.
According to police authorities, 4,800 police officers and gendarmes, along with 2,500 firefighters, were mobilised in Paris and its surrounding region for the event.
The heat wave has also been linked to several drowning deaths.
A 17-year-old boy died after being swept away by a current in the Dordogne River in southwestern France on Saturday evening, emergency services said.
Separately, a 16-year-old boy drowned on a beach in Dunkirk in northern France on Saturday, while two other teenagers died in eastern France on Friday after drowning in the Doubs River.
French railway operator SNCF said it had activated emergency measures to maintain services despite the extreme temperatures.
“We are fully mobilised to face these events and ensure traffic remains as normal as possible under these extreme conditions,” SNCF chief executive Jean Castex said.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot told BFMTV that the country’s railway network was “aging” and called for additional investment to accelerate infrastructure renewal.
He said authorities had taken measures to prepare for the heat wave, but warned that its intensity and unusually early arrival were forcing officials to make decisions aimed at preventing public services, particularly the healthcare system, from becoming overwhelmed.
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