France's ecological transition minister, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, said the two deaths in her country were a result of "heat-related illness". It comes as France registered its second-hottest June since records began in 1900. June 2025 only trails behind June 2023, when the country also experienced intense heat.

Barcelona recorded its hottest June in over a century, the summit of Paris' iconic Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors and hundreds of French schools shut Tuesday as Europe sizzled in its first major heat wave of the summer.

Paris was on red alert for high temperatures on Tuesday, with the top of the Eiffel Tower shut, polluting traffic banned and speed restrictions in place as a searing heatwave gripped Europe.Mediterranean countries from the Iberian peninsula through France and Italy to the Balkans and Greece have been sweltering in a heatwave for several days,