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Temperatures in the south west of France hit 43.8 C on Wednesday, as large parts of Europe experienced record-breaking heat. ITV News Europe Editor James Mates reports from Bordeaux
Over 100,000 people in northwestern France have been left without power as extremely high temperatures strained the country’s infrastructure, according to local media reports.
It comes as large parts of western Europe are experiencing record-breaking temperatures, as a “heat dome” affects the region.
The outage took place in the commune of Ergue-Gaberic in Britanny on Tuesday evening, leaving a total of 68,000 households without electricity, officials said.
French grid operators RTE and Enedis have been working to fix the issue, but power is not expected to be restored until the end of the day at the earliest, local media reported.
Tourists line up under an umbrella for shade outside the Louvre Museum. Credit: AP
The outage, which involved a transformer on the electricity grid and did not injure anyone, has still left people sweltering in record-breaking heat.
Because of high temperatures, many of the country’s major attractions, including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum in Paris, have restricted visiting hours to protect visitors.
Around 6,000 schools in France have closed or made adaptations on Wednesday because of the heat, education minister Édouard Geffray said.
It comes as France recorded its hottest day ever on Tuesday with temperatures in Pissos in the south west reaching a scorching 44.3C.
Following a crisis meeting on Monday, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said that 40 people had drowned in the hot weather in the last five days. Many of the victims were young people, he added.
Officials in southeastern France also said the heatwave was the most likely reason for the additional deaths of two children, aged two and four, who were found unconscious in a car outside their home in Carpentras in the southeast.
Sales of fans and air conditioners have also skyrocketed, with supermarket Carrefour reporting it had sold a thousand times more units on Tuesday than on a normal day, according to AFP.
Eurostar, which connects the UK to continental Europe under the English Channel, said it cancelled four trains planned between London and Paris on Wednesday and Thursday “due to expected adverse weather”.
A thermometer shows the temperature of 38C as temperatures reach record highs in Rome. Credit: AP
Elsewhere, Italy’s Health Ministry issued “red alerts” for 16 cities on Wednesday, with major cities such as Rome, Milan, Florence, and Turin affected.
The red alert signals emergency conditions that can affect vulnerable people and healthy adults.
Temperatures could reach highs of 41C in Florence and 38C in Milan, while Rome and Naples are forecast to remain below 36C.
Overnight, increased electricity demand due to the high use of air conditioning caused a blackout in the suburbs of Milan.
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