(FILES) This photograph shows sandals next to a sign indicating that swimming is forbidden, at the Bassin de la Villette during a cold water swimming event in Paris on March 29, 2025.(Photo by Thibaud MORITZ / AFP)
Paris, France: France has recorded more than 300 drownings this summer, up sharply from last year, a minister said Sunday, linking the surge to the heatwaves that have swept Europe.
The 301 drownings since June 19 are an increase of 14 percent from the summer of 2025, Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari told France Inter radio.
She called it a "sad toll", saying the increase was "in line with the repeated heatwaves" that have hit many European countries -- a phenomenon experts say is driven by human-caused climate change.
"Lots of people have sought to hit the water, with risky behaviour," she added.
"Many deadly accidents have occurred in areas that are not authorised or supervised for swimming."
On July 15, Ferrari gave an initial summer drownings toll of 142 deaths.
