[Photo: Reuters]
Western Europe was in the grip of a heatwave on Wednesday that claimed dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, shut schools and cultural landmarks, as forecasters warned the extreme temperatures could persist until the end of the week.
Smashing previous records, Britain logged its highest temperature for June, reaching 35.8 degrees Celsius in southern England as a heat dome hovered over much of Western Europe.
France recorded its hottest day since records began nearly 80 years ago, when temperatures peaked at 44.3 C in the southwestern town of Pissos on Tuesday.
At least 48 people have died in France from drowning since the onset of the heatwave while trying to cool off, authorities said, and two young children were killed by heat in a car.
