France has recorded 301 drownings since 19 June, a 14% increase on the same period last year, which the government has linked to prolonged heatwaves affecting the country. Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari described the toll as "tragic", noting that many fatal incidents have occurred as people take risks to cool off in unauthorised or unsupervised areas, including open water such as canals. The rise matters as an illustration of the human cost of extreme heat, which is also fuelling wildfires across southern Europe.

Ferrari said some drownings, particularly among elderly people, have happened in private swimming pools, and warned that sudden immersion in cold water on a hot day can trigger shock, with swimmers sometimes overestimating their physical capabilities. She said the government is working with regional authorities to improve and secure swimming areas. France, Spain and Italy have all been hit by heatwaves this summer, which have scorched thousands of hectares of land, and scientists note Europe is warming roughly twice as fast as the global average.