Europe heatwave leaves seven dead in UK, nearly 1,000 excess deaths in France

CALGARY — At least seven people have died in water-related incidents across the United Kingdom during the country’s recent heatwave, while French health authorities estimate nearly 1,000 excess deaths have occurred as exceptionally high temperatures continue to affect much of western Europe.The latest victim was 15-year-old Abdullah Khan, whose body was recovered Saturday from Cowbury Reservoir in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester.Greater Manchester Police were called after reports that the teenager had disappeared while swimming with friends. Specialist dive teams searched the reservoir and recovered his body later that evening.“We are confident that there are no suspicious circumstances and that this is such a sad reminder of the dangers of entering open water,” Chief Inspector Helen Baxter of Greater Manchester Police told ITV News.“We remind the public to please avoid being tempted to cool off in reservoirs, rivers, canals or ponds,” Baxter said.“We all want to enjoy the warm weather; please make sure you do so in a safe way.”.Khan was one of seven people who died in separate open-water incidents during the recent heatwave.Earlier on Saturday, emergency services recovered the body of 22-year-old Brody Leach, who had disappeared while swimming in the River Severn near Shrewsbury the previous evening.Police, firefighters and specialist search teams carried out an overnight search after Leach got into difficulty in the water before recovering his body on Saturday morning.Also on Saturday, a 55-year-old woman died after entering the water at Sandwell Valley Country Park in West Bromwich. Emergency services were called after she disappeared beneath the surface, and specialist fire and rescue teams later recovered her body. .On Friday, a 15-year-old boy died after disappearing beneath the surface while swimming at Testwood Lakes near Southampton. Hampshire Police launched a major search before recovering his body and said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. His identity has not been publicly released.Earlier in the week, a teenage boy died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a lake at Syston, Leicestershire. Emergency services recovered his body after he failed to resurface. Police have not publicly identified the victim.A 69-year-old man also lost his life after getting into difficulty while swimming off Marine Parade East in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. Coastguard crews, firefighters, ambulance personnel and police all responded to the incident, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released.The earliest of the seven reported fatalities was a 50-year-old man who died after getting into difficulty in the water at Aberavon Beach in South Wales. Lifeboat crews, coastguard teams and paramedics responded, but rescue efforts were unsuccessful. Police have not publicly identified him.As of Monday, the majority of the victims have not been identified. .Authorities say many of the UK's recent fatalities occurred after people entered rivers, lakes, reservoirs and the sea in an attempt to cool off during the prolonged spell of hot weather.The heatwave has broken temperature records across several European countries. Britain recorded its hottest June temperature on record at 37.7 C, while parts of France, Spain and Germany also saw temperatures exceed 40 C.In France, health authorities estimate the heatwave contributed to approximately 1,000 excess deaths between Wednesday and Friday. The estimate is based on mortality rates above normal seasonal levels rather than confirmed heatstroke cases, with the majority of deaths involving people aged 65 and older.The UK Health Security Agency issued heat-health alerts across much of England during the hottest days of the heatwave, warning that prolonged high temperatures posed an increased risk to older adults, young children and people with underlying medical conditions.Although temperatures have begun easing in parts of the UK, forecasters say another spell of hot weather could arrive in early July, prompting authorities to continue urging the public to stay hydrated and avoid entering unsupervised open water.

Europe heatwave leaves seven dead in UK, nearly 1,000 excess deaths in France

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