PARIS, France, June 29, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The most severe heatwave ever

recorded in Europe roasted central and eastern parts of the continent on

Monday and began to creep over Ukraine, which scrambled to prepare its war-

ravaged power grid for the shock of scorching heat.

The heatwave first smothered western Europe last week, sending mercury to

record highs and straining hospitals, transport networks and power grids on a

continent where infrastructure was not built to withstand the punishing

temperatures and where air conditioning is not widespread.

More than 1,300 excess deaths were recorded in Europe since June 21,

according to the UN health agency, including several small children who died

in locked cars and youths who drowned as they sought relief from the infernal

temperatures in unsupervised swimming spots.

France reported at least 74 drowning deaths since June 18 and Poland said 17

drowned on Sunday alone.

"I'm doing the same thing as everyone -- trying to stay in the shade and

drink a lot of water," Susanne, a Vienna resident, told AFP on a bank of a

river near the Austrian capital.

"I just hope that the politicians will understand the situation and will

begin to set a course in the right direction," she said.

On Monday, the Balkans braced for temperatures of up to 40C, with

firefighters in Bosnia battling blazes sparked during the heat.

At least 130 million people in Europe were expected to swelter through

temperatures of more than 35C, down from 190 million on Sunday according to

an AFP analysis.

This heatwave is the most severe ever recorded in Europe, and would have been

"virtually impossible" this early in the summer without climate change, the

World Weather Attribution group of scientists said.

All-time temperature records have been broken in Germany, Poland and the

Czech Republic, as well as for the month of June in the UK and in

Switzerland.

- New shock for Ukraine -

Ukraine on Monday was preparing to absorb the blow from Nature on its energy

network, already pummelled by Russian attacks over more than four years of

war.

Grid operators in at least five regions -- from Ivano-Frankivsk in the west

to Zaporizhzhia on the front line in the south -- announced temporary

restrictions on energy usage would be in force during parts of Tuesday.

The state weather service said the country would face "intense heat", with

temperatures of 35C-38C expected on Monday.

"The heat is also a serious test for equipment that has been operating under

wartime conditions for more than four years and has withstood numerous

attacks," Sergii Kovalenko, CEO of the Yasno energy company said over the

weekend.

He said that summer was the peak period for repairing the energy network,

battered through the winter by repeat Russian attacks, meaning the grid was

already "operating at the limit of its capabilities".

- Record temperatures -

Over the weekend, the heat scorched the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland,

with the countries setting new temperature records of 41.9C, 41.7C and 40.5C,

respectively.

The Berlin police used water cannons to help residents of the capital cool

off for a second day running Sunday -- this time at the Olympia venue where

singer Bruno Mars was performing.

With temperatures cooling in France, the national weather service said on

Sunday evening it was already anticipating the possibility of another

heatwave in July.

BSS/AFP/SSS/1952 hrs