Overview

• At least nine fatalities have been recorded across Italy, Spain, France and Switzerland, including two killed in a wildfire in Catalonia that consumed roughly 40 km² of land
• Italian authorities maintain red heat alerts in 17 cities and have prohibited outdoor work during peak afternoon temperatures to protect labourers
• Swiss utility Axpo shut down one unit and halved output at another at the Beznau nuclear power plant after river water temperatures rose above safe cooling limits
• France’s labour ministry decree requires employers to provide three litres of water per worker daily, schedule frequent breaks and suspend strenuous tasks under heatwave alerts
• Hospital emergency departments in Italy report up to a 20% rise in heat-related admissions, with some regions like Sardinia seeing the sharpest increases