Heat melts Europe and breaks new records in Germany and France

People bathe in the Trocadero fountain, in front of the Eiffel tower

PARIS

Millions of Europeans experienced a stifling day yesterday under the effect of the heat wave, the second in less than a month, which culminated with temperature records in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. As well as in Paris, where they exceeded 42 ° C.

The French capital broke its record of heat with 42.6 ° C recorded in the afternoon. This is the second time that temperatures in the light city exceed 40 ° C. The first occurred on July 28, 1947, when the mercury scored 40.4 ° C.

To cope with the overwhelming heat, Parisians and tourists seek a little freshness in the Parisian fountains, like the Trocadero, facing the Eiffel Tower, become an outdoor pool.

Transit users have also experienced the rigors of the cannula. "It's very hot in the subway, unbearable!" Said Petra Ulm, a 34-year-old Austrian living in France. "I have the impression of having opened the door of an oven!", Exclaimed Vanessa Bouisson, a 38-year-old pbaderby, after finishing her day's work .

FREQUENT HEAT WAVES

According to scientists, heat waves will be more and more frequent in the world, accusing climate change caused by man.

Global temperatures have never risen as fast as now, according to data released Wednesday in two separate studies in Nature and Nature Geoscience.

Records also fell in several countries in northern Europe: 42.6 ° C in Germany, 40.6 ° C in Belgium and 40.4 ° C in the Netherlands. The heat was such that the metal was spreading on some decks of Amsterdam. Municipal employees therefore had to spray them with water to cool them down.

Citizens have adopted their own strategies to resist embarrbadment, such as Serona Methorst, a 19-year-old Dutch student. "I'm trying not to move too much to be too hot," he said, lying in the shade of the trees in The Hague.

In the center of the country, the police tried to negotiate a truce with thieves and criminals. He launched on Facebook a call for them to remain "calm". "It is very difficult to work in these conditions!", They said.

Two suspected traffickers even called the police to release them from a container in which they were locked, with temperatures approaching 40 ° C, when they were "taking drugs" in the harbor. Antwerp, Belgium.

In Germany, the Grohnde nuclear power plant in Lower Saxony (West) will temporarily close at noon today, as the water temperature of the Weser River is expected to reach the critical threshold of 26 ° C at this time. the. The water is used to cool the reactor and then returned to the river.

In Austria, a three-year-old boy died of dehydration on Wednesday.

In the United Kingdom, the thermometer reached 38.1 ° C in Cambridge. Emergency services have alerted the public to the dangers of sudden cooling in lakes, rivers or the sea, which can lead to death. (AFP)