France has recorded 40 drowning deaths since June 18 amid an intensifying heatwave, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has said.
Speaking after a ministerial crisis meeting on Tuesday, Lecornu said the government had activated Level 2 of the ORSAN emergency health plan as the heatwave placed mounting pressure on emergency services and medical dispatch centres.
The measure is intended to strengthen medical coordination, deploy additional healthcare staff and improve cooperation between hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and primary care providers, he said in a post on X.
It also allows healthcare services to adapt their operations if needed.
Lecornu said the government’s priorities were to support the healthcare system and frontline workers throughout the heatwave, while protecting vulnerable people.
Sports Minister Marina Ferrari also told broadcaster France Inter earlier that about 20 people had died by drowning since the weekend began.
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Meanwhile, 28 departments have been placed at high risk of wildfires, with the number set to rise to 34 on Wednesday, the broadcaster BFMTV reported.
A wildfire that has been burning for several days in the southern department of Aveyron has threatened hundreds of hectares of vegetation, regional newspaper Midi Libre reported.
The fire, located in steep terrain near the commune of Nant, reignited on Tuesday morning, with around 80 firefighters deployed to contain the blaze, the report said.
