European heat wave kills 2 children in France, closes 1,350 schools
Red alerts widened across France, Italy and Spain as train trips were canceled and a thunderstorm prompted evacuations at the Berlin Open.
An extreme heat wave sweeping Europe killed two children in Carpentras, southern France, after they were found in a parked car on Monday. Emergency services received a call around 13:20 local time and found both in cardiac arrest. In France, the heat also forced the closure of more than 1,350 schools, while Meteo-France expanded the highest-level warning to more than half the departments, covering about 39 million people. In Spain, temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius and red-orange warnings were in place through midweek. Italy put eight cities on red alert, including Milan, Florence, Bologna and Turin. The impact also spread to transport: rail operator SNCF canceled 71 intercity trips, while thunderstorms following the high temperatures forced the evacuation of the Berlin Open tournament in Germany.