British woman dies in French campsite during extreme heatwave
The elderly woman fell ill while staying at the campsite
Four ambulances and two police units were dispatched to the scene (photo for illustration purposes only)
DBrownPhotos/Shutterstock.
A British woman died while staying at a campsite in western France as the intense heatwave has placed much of the country under severe weather alerts.
The elderly woman fell ill while staying at the Baie d’Aunis campsite in La Tranche-sur-Mer (Vendée) with her husband, reports The Sun. Emergency services, including four ambulances and two police units, were dispatched to the scene, but she was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Local staff reportedly indicated that the death was from natural causes, and it has not been officially linked to the extreme temperatures at this stage.
The incident comes as France experiences record-breaking temperatures, with 72 departments placed under red alert and temperatures reaching between 38C and 42C across much of the country.
The episode forms part of a wider pattern of heat-related incidents across France in recent days.
Among them, two children aged two and four died in the Vaucluse department after reportedly becoming trapped inside a parked car during extreme heat. A separate incident in Val-d’Oise saw a three-year-old child die in similar circumstances after becoming trapped inside a vehicle.
Authorities have stressed vigilance, especially for vulnerable people such as children and older people.
France’s Ministry of Health has also activated its national Heatwave Information Service hotline (Canicule Info Service), available free of charge on 0800 06 66 66, open daily from 09:00 to 19:00, to provide advice on coping with extreme heat.
