PARIS, France, June 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - At least 101 million Europeans were

forecast to swelter in temperatures of over 35C on Thursday, as scores of

people were thought to have been killed by the heatwave.

France and Spain, among the countries worst hit, began counting the toll from

the extreme temperatures, including a three-year-old boy who got trapped in

his family's car.

AFP calculations based on forecasts from the German weather service and 2025

population projections from the European Joint Research Centre indicated that

more than 380 million people would face temperatures of over 30C.

The UN's climate chief Simon Stiell said the heatwave -- made worse by

buildings and infrastructure unsuited to such temperatures -- "has the

fingerprints of the climate crisis all over it".

"Until humanity stops burning colossal amounts of coal, oil and gas, extreme

heat will keep getting worse," he added.

The deputy director of the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Samantha

Burgess, said the hot weather was due to a "heat dome" of trapped air from

north Africa in a low-lying high-pressure system, preventing cooler air from

moving in.

"While heat domes are a natural weather phenomenon, anthropogenic climate

change is making heatwaves more severe and more likely to reach record-

breaking temperatures," she added.

- Scores of deaths -

In Spain, where new temperature records have been set for June, the MoMo

monitoring system of mortality rates said 212 deaths between Sunday and

Wednesday could be linked to the heat.

Three deaths in northern France's Pas-de-Calais region were "likely" caused

by the heat while a prosecutor said a three-year-old boy was found dead in a

car in the suburbs of Paris, where temperatures topped 40C on Wednesday.

Two other children died in similar circumstances in France this week.

In Paris, 25 cardiac arrests were recorded over 24 hours on Wednesday,

compared with fewer than 10 usually, Health Minister Stephanie Rist's office

said.

At the national level, she said a fourfold increase in emergency room visits

for heat-related reasons had been recorded.

In Italy, courts in Palermo, Sicily, said they were suspending all non-urgent

hearings until June 29 due to "malfunctioning air conditioning" while

teaching unions in France called for strike action over "unacceptable working

conditions".

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported five deaths from the heatwave

including two farmworkers and a builder.

- Cooling off -

Dozens of people, from couples to families with babies, slept in hammocks and

on camping mats at the Buttes-Chaumont park in Paris to beat the heat.

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"We've got everything we need, really. And quite a few people hang out here,

so there's a good atmosphere," Maissame Decosse, 26, told AFP.

"It's better to be here than indoors."

Elsewhere, locals flocked to the Canal Saint-Martin in the north of the city,

some with inflatables, after the authorities allowed swimming there due to

the heat.

But in Brussels, residents complained about the lack of public swimming

facilities in the Belgian capital, which made it hard for residents to cope

as temperatures nudged 40C.

"It's honestly a joke for a city like Brussels with more than a million

residents," said Paul Steinbruck, co-founder of the organisation Pool is

Cool.

In Germany, where temperatures were in the high 30s and expected to hit 40C

through the weekend, several outdoor events were cancelled.

Rail operator Deutsche Bahn also told customers to avoid travel due to a high

risk of disruption from wildfires, heavy rain and thunderstorms.

- 'Nature is angry' -

The effects of extreme heat -- from dehydration to heatstroke -- are a

concern for those caring for the vulnerable, including the very young and

old.

At the Kingsley Court Care Home in Hayes, west London, fruit juice and water

were handed out to dementia patients in shaded areas of the garden.

"When they've got dementia, they forget to ask about whether they feel

thirsty," said manager Shiny Mathappan.

Temperatures hit 36.4C in Yeovilton, southwest England, on Thursday, making

it the hottest June day on record, the Met Office weather service said.

London Ambulance Service said the extreme heat on Wednesday led to the

highest number of life-threatening emergency calls in a day.

Kingsley Court resident Lucine Nazikian, 97, said she was not keen on the

heat and the world needed to take it seriously -- or pay the price.

"Nature is angry with us because we destroy everything," she said.

Temperatures are expected to fall in western Europe from Friday but eastern

Europe was on red alert as temperatures climbed into the weekend.

BSS/AFP/SSS/2033 hrs