Elderly die in Europe heatwave

Two people in their 80s died today in the Bordeaux region, victims of the soaring temperatures across France that recall the summer of 2003 when 15,000 people, mostly elderly, died.

Tourists everywhere ran for shade as the government, mindful of the catastrophic heat wave three years ago, worked hard to keep the country cool.

However, the deaths of an 85-year-old man and an 81-year-old women in two regions outside Bordeaux – where temperatures were among the hottest – were “probably linked to the heat wave,” said the Gironde prefecture.

The two were thought to be the first elderly victims of the hot weather, which began last week.

The woman was found dead at her home in Cenon, outside Bordeaux, while the man, from the town of Bruges, died shortly after admission to a hospital.

“The heat probably accentuated” their illnesses, Sophie Billa of the Gironde prefecture said.

In Paris, crowds huddled under the generous shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Four giant humidifiers, one at each foot of the tower, sprayed them with water vapour as they took a break from the heat and the sun’s punishing rays.

Meanwhile, a heat wave in the Netherlands caused the deaths of two people at a large walking event and 300 others became sick today.

The country’s national broadcaster NOS said 30 of those who became ill at the Nijmegen 4-Day March were admitted to hospital.

Temperatures in the Netherlands have soared up to 35C (95F) in recent days.

The march, billed as the world’s largest walking event, attracts people from the around the globe. The nationalities of the people who died were not immediately available.

Each day, participants can walk a route of up to 30 miles. There are shorter routes.

The deaths occurred on the second day of the event. Organisers were considering cancelling the final two days of the walk, which attracted around 44,000 people at the start on Monday, NOS reported.