France says 74 drowning deaths since 18 June

French National police and the river brigade controls a group of teenagers who were jumping off the Passerelle de la Paix bridge into the Rhone river, in Lyon, southern France, on Jun. 25, 2026 during a heatwave in France and Europe. (AFP)

• Most of the deaths occurred “in unauthorized, unsupervised bodies of water such as rivers, lakes and ponds”

PARIS: At least 74 people have drowned in France amid a severe heatwave since June 18, the Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said in an interview with Le Parisien published Saturday.
Most of the deaths occurred “in unauthorized, unsupervised bodies of water such as rivers, lakes and ponds,” he said, adding that there had also been drownings in private swimming pools.