Drowning deaths soar in France as Europe buckles in peak of heatwave

Drowning deaths soar in France as Europe buckles in peak of heatwaveImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, France's sports minister Marina Ferrari warned that too many people were heading for reservoirs and rivers without taking the risks into accountByPaul Kirby, Europe digital editor, Hugh Schofield, in Paris and Davide Ghiglione, in RomePublished23 June 2026, 11:53 BSTUpdated 14 minutes agoForty people have drowned in heatwave-related deaths in France since last Thursday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has said, as temperatures hit record levels in several major cities and the heatwave reaches a peak in several European countries."It's not something to be taken lightly, going swimming in unsupervised areas during a heatwave," Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari told French…

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