Germany, Czech Republic brace for extreme heat as heatwave shifts east

The intense heatwave that has gripped Spain, France and the United Kingdom for several days is expected to move eastward, with meteorologists warning of severe conditions in Germany and the Czech Republic.

Authorities have issued extreme weather warnings across large areas of the Czech Republic, Caliber.Az reports, citing the BBC.

In France, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that the country's health alert has been elevated to its highest level in an effort to strengthen hospital capacity and safeguard vulnerable groups.

Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said the extreme heat is now being linked to fatalities among both elderly people and "young people who suffer cardiac arrests".

Meanwhile, United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell said "Europe's savage heatwave has the fingerprints of the climate crisis all over it", urging "a faster shift to renewables, protecting forests and boosting climate resilience".

France continued to break temperature records after registering its hottest day of the year for a second consecutive day on June 24. According to Météo-France, the national average overnight low reached 22°C, while temperatures in the northwestern city of Nantes remained as high as 27.2°C.

Following days of oppressive heat in Paris, Rist said emergency medical services in the capital recorded four times the usual number of cardiac arrest cases over 24 hours.

However, she stressed that no official figures have yet confirmed the number of deaths directly linked to the heatwave.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire warned that the rising temperatures were having a visible impact on public health, noting that mortality rates in the city are increasing.

"We must not believe ourselves to be invulnerable," he told French TV. "I am thinking especially about the youth... At about 19:30 last night... I saw 100 or so joggers on the street. Frankly, that's irresponsible."

"It's fine to take a couple of days off from exercising," he added.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov