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.