Much of Europe on red alert as heatwave set to intensify

Much of Europe was preparing Monday for an already fierce heatwave to intensify even further in the coming days, with some countries taking special measures to mitigate its effects.

Visitors to Place de la Concorde in Paris sought relief at the Fontaine des Mers as a fierce heatwave continues to sweep France.

More than half the country is on a red alert weather warning as some areas recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius - extreme for the time of year.

The deaths of three people in southwest Gironde have been attributed in part to the intense heat.

Emergency services and military forces are on wildfire alert, while public alcohol consumption has been restricted. Some outdoor sports events have been cancelled.

Both France and Belgium announced cuts to their rail services: in France, mainly commuter lines in and around Paris.Belgium's national rail company SNCB announced that some rush hour trains had been cancelled for Monday and Tuesday to reduce the risk of breakdowns blocking the tracks.

Temperatures in Belgium are expected to be "the hottest ever recorded" there in the coming week, warned David Dehenauw, head of forecasting at the IRM meteorological institute.

France's junior minister for ecology Mathieu Lefevre said this heatwave was "particularly intense and particularly early". In May, several European countries reported record temperatures for that time of year.

Akshay Deoras, a senior researcher at the University of Reading's National Centre for Atmospheric Science, in England, said it was clear what was behind the rash of heat records.

"Human-driven climate change has provided the springboard for this event, loading the atmosphere with extra heat and making extreme temperatures far more intense than they would have been in the past," he said.

Spain's weather service Aemet on Sunday warned of "extremely high" temperatures for the season, day and night, until Wednesday. Temperatures are forecast to reach 44C in some areas.

"Temperatures will drop Thursday, but the heat will remain intense," it added.

On Sunday, officials in Madrid cancelled a public screening on a giant screen of Spain's victory over Saudi Arabia at the World Cup because of the extreme heat.

The Spanish capital Madrid is also under alert for extreme heat and thunderstorms.

Across the country, temperatures are expected to remain high until at least Wednesday, even in the northern Basque region that typically remains cool.

On Sunday, eight cities in northern and central Italy were also under red alert, including Turin, where people and dogs cooled down in fountains.

Temperatures inland peaked at 39 degrees.

More than 200,000 people across Europe have died from heat-related causes over the last four years

More above-average temperatures are expected this summer, raising the risk of heat exhaustion and life-threatening heat stroke.