Star Metro - Baking heatwave gives Europe no respite

France and Spain, among the countries worst hit, began counting the toll from the extreme temperatures, with children among the victims.

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 heatwave -- made worse by buildings and infrastructure unsuited to such temperatures -- is being blamed by scientists on human-driven climate change.

"Europe's savage heatwave has the fingerprints of the climate crisis all over it," said UN climate chief Simon Stiell.

"It's the latest price to pay for fossil fuel pollution baking our planet. Until humanity stops burning colossal amounts of coal, oil and gas, extreme heat will keep getting worse."

Most of mainland France was under extreme heat alerts on Thursday, with some 63 million people out of a total population of 67 million facing temperatures of over 30C.

The heat will also surpass 30C for 70 million people in Germany, 48 million in Italy and 38 million in the UK, with high temperatures also in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Temperatures are expected to fall in western Europe from Friday but eastern Europe was on red alert as temperatures climbed into the weekend.

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.

- Cooling off -

The local authorities in northern France's Pas-de-Calais region said three deaths were "likely" caused by the heat, while police said a three-year-old child was found dead in suburbs.

Two other children have died in similar circumstances this week.

Swiss energy provider Axpo warned that it would have to temporarily shut down the Beznau nuclear plant due to high water temperatures in the Aare river.

France again recorded its hottest night since records began in 1947, the Meteo-France weather service said, with average temperatures climbing to 22C Wednesday to Thursday.

In Paris, where temperatures passed 40C on Wednesday, dozens of people, from couples to families with babies, decided to sleep under the stars in hammocks and on camping mats to try to beat the heat.

Maissame Decosse, 26, said she had come to the Buttes-Chaumont park as it was too hot in her apartment, even with fans.

"We've got everything we need, really. And quite a few people hang out here, so there's a good atmosphere," she 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 due to the heat.

But in Brussels, residents complained about the lack of public swimming facilities in the Belgian capital, that 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 Pool is Cool organisation.

"There's nowhere for outdoor swimming, there's no pool, no beach, no pond."

"So many of us are desperate to cool off somewhere and we don't have the opportunity," added copywriter Sally Tipper.

- '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, and those with medical conditions.

At one care home on the edge of west London, elderly residents with dementia were given regular supplies of fruit juice and water, as they sat outside in shaded areas of the garden.

"Dehydration is a high risk for elderly residents," said Shiny Mathappan, manager of the Kingsley Court Care Home in Hayes.

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

The record for a June day was broken on Wednesday in the UK, with temperatures of 35.7C near Gatwick Airport, south of London, and a provisional 36.1C in Gosport, southwest England.

The Met Office weather service warned of "another exceptionally hot day ahead", and another possible peak Thursday and Friday.

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.

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F.Davis--SMC