Around 20 drown in France as people seek relief from heatwave

Around 20 people drowned in France after entering unsupervised swimming areas since the weekend, as authorities warned that a European heatwave pushed many to seek relief in the water. Reuters reported that on Tuesday, French officials said the fatalities occurred where swimmers were not monitored. The French sports minister, Marina Ferrari, told France Inter that there had been around 20 deaths since last weekend. Forecaster MeteoFrance said temperatures in much of France were expected to reach about 40°C (104°F) on Tuesday. Authorities urged caution, noting that swimming in unauthorized areas during a heatwave can be extremely dangerous. The report cited Sudip Kar-Gupta as the correspondent and Andrew Heavens as editor.