Much of France was set to experience temperatures of around 40C on Tuesday, after records were shattered on Monday

Forty people have drowned in France over the past days as they sought to cool down to escape record heat, the prime minister said on Tuesday, as a heatwave swept across much of Europe.

Speaking ahead of an emergency meeting on the heatwave, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said: "A sad scourge when it comes to drownings, as the latest figures just reported to us show 40 deaths since June 18, most of them young people."

Across France, people have been jumping into canals and rivers to cool off. French sports minister Marina Ferrari said she understood the urge to escape the heat but warned against swimming in unauthorized or dangerous areas.

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[–] 70 points 3 months ago (3 children)

It's hard to believe that it's now cooler in Morocco than in France.

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  • [–] 48 points 3 months ago (1 child)
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    [–] 41 points 3 months ago (10 children)

    Anyone read The Ministry For The Future? There's a horrifying wet-bulb event that occurs in the book. It happens in India. People just dying by the hundreds, stewing in any water they can find to cool off. It's looking very likely to occur this century. In the book, this causes some changes, some of which are implemented very aggressively. Sad to think it may be the only way people get on board with fixing this stuff.

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  • [–] 39 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    People are already dying in droves in India while Modi stubbornly insists climate change isn't real.

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  • [–] 15 points 3 months ago (3 children)

    Climate change is not real but god is. Lol

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  • [–] 18 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    The part mentioning the water was no cooler than the warm air but people still jumped in believing they were getting some relief was really heavy. The only way to convince those in power of the threat global warming poses is if it happens in a place like the Hamptons or Beverly Hills.

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  • [–] 26 points 3 months ago (11 children)

    Yeah maybe don't jump straight into unknown water. Walk in slowly from the edge if it's possible, if not perhaps find another entry point to start from. For rivers swim up stream to explore it so if the current gets stronger you are just pushed back to your starting point.

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  • [–] 21 points 3 months ago (7 children)
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  • [–] 25 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Climate change is totally not a problem guys its totally fine.

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  • [–] 8 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    48 dead from swimming. How does france suck at swimming so bad?

    I remember an early heatwave in russia they had a bunch of deaths from drunk people going in the (still very cold) water and it stopping their hearts.

    I can't imagine that is what is going on in france here in late june though.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 months ago

    okay, that sounds like a very low and very high number of drownings at the same time. quick and dirty analysis. 40 deaths due to one cause in one day is alarming even when your metropolitan population is 66 million. Normally there are 1,000 drowning deaths per year. Ish. That's 1/25th the budgeted drownings for the country in a single [time period oopsie misread the article. maybe 5 days? point still stands]. Like, 40 is a small absolute number but per capita per [short time period] it's a LOT.

    hence the government emergency meeting.

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