France keeps health emergency plan at highest level in case of another heatwave

PARIS, June 29 - French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Monday he was keeping the country's health emergency response plan, ORSAN, at its highest level for the coming days in view of "a possible recurrence of a heatwave episode".

Lecornu was speaking at the start of a government crisis meeting to review how France dealt with a severe heatwave over the past week and how it could prepare for future heatwaves.

• France's weather agency has said the extreme heat had now diminished in most parts of the country though temperatures were likely to rise again towards the end of the week.

• Scientists have said the heatwave, which began on June 20, was the worst recorded in Europe, where the climate is changing faster than the global average.

• France has recorded 1,000 excess deaths during the blistering heatwave sweeping Europe, the public health agency said on Sunday, warning that the true figure was likely to be higher.

• Most of the deaths involved people aged 65 and older, though the health effects of the extreme heat affected all categories of the population, Sante Publique said. REUTERS