France outage hits 68,000 homes as Europe heat wave sets records
Why it matters: France logged 44.3C, EDF cut 4.1 gigawatts of nuclear output and schools and transport were disrupted across Europe.
A record-breaking heat wave across Western Europe knocked out electricity to about 68,000 homes in western France and disrupted schools, transport and power supplies across the region. French authorities said a heat-related incident involving a transformer in Ergué-Gabéric, in Finistère, caused the outage, with full restoration not expected before the end of Wednesday. France recorded its hottest national day since records began, with 44.3 degrees Celsius in Pissos and unusually high readings in cities including Bordeaux. EDF data showed nuclear output was down 4.1 gigawatts as hot weather limited cooling water. Britain issued a rare extreme-heat warning and shut more than 1,000 schools, while Italy put 16 cities on its highest heat alert.