Two people have died in France due to “health problems related to the heat“, the Minister of Ecological Transition, Energy, Climate and Risk Prevention, Agnes Panier-Runache, announced today, quoted by France Press, BTA reported.
“Firefighters have helped more than 300 people in emergency situations, and two people have died due to health problems related to the heat“, she said.
Spanish authorities also reported two deaths after a forest fire in northern Spain spread quickly before firefighters could control it, the Associated Press reported.
The head of the regional administration in Catalonia, Salvador Illa, announced that the deaths were from last night. The fire broke out near the city of Lleida amid a heatwave that has gripped Europe. A total of 6,500 hectares were burned before firefighters were able to stop the flames from spreading. According to the fire service, 14,000 people were warned to stay indoors via a phone messaging system.
Meanwhile, in Germany, dozens of passengers had to be rescued by emergency services last night after being stranded for two and a half hours on a broken-down train in the high temperatures, DPA reported.
The regional train crashed on a railway bridge in the state of Lower Saxony due to a technical problem, a spokesman for the federal police said.
The fault disrupted the operation of the train's air conditioning system and the carriages quickly became hot. Some of the passengers then called the emergency services.
Police, nine ambulances and four emergency doctors arrived to remove the passengers from the train and provide them with medical attention.
Five people suffered circulatory problems and dehydration. Two children, aged 14 and 15, were taken to hospital.