PARIS, France: Two children were found dead in a car in France on Monday as much of Europe sweltered through an intense heatwave, with national authorities issuing danger warnings and taking special measures to reduce the impact of the high temperatures.
The youngsters, aged two and four, were found in their family car in a residential parking lot in the southern town of Carpentras, where investigators said they believed the heatwave was the most likely reason for the deaths.
The latest bout of exceptionally high temperatures to hit Europe has seen outdoor events cancelled, transport disrupted, schools shut and office workers told to work from home, as the authorities issued health alerts to protect the elderly and vulnerable.
France, at the epicentre of the weather anomaly, has been sweltering for days. On Monday, French authorities closed 1,350 schools due to the searing weather, while another 4,000 schools cut short classroom hours so pupils could go home around midday.
The French government´s emergency response cell warned people not to try to cool off in unsupervised water areas such as lakes and rivers, after 13 people died by drowning at the weekend, including a 13-year-old girl.
