TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Dozens of people have drowned in France in recent days as people attempt to cool off during the heat wave.
Speaking after a crisis cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said some 40 deaths had been recorded since last Thursday.
Meanwhile, Sports Minister Marina Ferrari said many drownings occurred over the weekend in particular.
"There have been around 20 deaths since last weekend," Ferrari told France Inter radio on Tuesday.
"To go swimming in unauthorized areas during a heatwave, is not something to take lightly."
Neighboring Germany also recorded a number of drownings over the weekend.
The frequent drownings came as France's national weather service placed 54 departments across the country on red alert on Tuesday.
Daytime highs are expected to surpass 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in many towns throughout the rest of the week.
"Sunshine continues to dominate across France, maintaining oppressive and exhausting heat throughout the country," Meteo France said.
"Further record-breaking temperatures are expected, including some that could surpass all previous records, regardless of the time of year," it added.
France's heatwave has arrived exceptionally early in the summer. It is already being compared to the August 2003 heat wave that caused an estimated 15,000 deaths, many of whom were older people living in apartments and retirement homes in a country without widespread air conditioning.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is due to chair a crisis meeting on the heatwave with cabinet ministers on Tuesday morning.
Hot weather leads to weekend drownings, say German lifeguards
Meanwhile, in Germany, The German Life Saving Association (DLRG), the largest volunteer lifeguard association in the world, says it registered six drowning deaths over the weekend, and three were recorded last Thursday alone, as people sought relief from extreme heat.
"Unfortunately, fears of repeated deadly accidents were not unfounded," said a DLRG spokesperson on Monday, noting that more cases could be registered after the fact.
The DLRG regularly warns of the dangers of drowning in Germany's pools, ponds, lakes and rivers.
The DLRG said one group in particular, men, and more specifically young men, consistently put themselves in harm's way.
"Over and over we see men overestimating their abilities and putting themselves in risk situations that are easily avoidable," said DLRG President Ute Vogt.
In 2025, men accounted for four-in-five drowning deaths—82%.
All of the six individuals who drowned over the weekend were men ranging in age from 19 to 53.
Four more individuals, also men, remain missing.
Beyond lack of swimming skills, the DLRG also made clear that people should not simply jump into cold water when they are hot, but enter slowly to allow the body to adjust to potentially extreme temperature differences.
Moreover, the DLRG recommends always swimming in monitored swimming areas and warns against swimming alone.
Read: France Bans Alcohol at Festivals as Heatwave Raises Risks
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