Forty people, mostly young people, have drowned as a result of the severe heatwave hitting France.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced on Tuesday that 40 people, mostly young people, have drowned since June 18, amid a severe and record-breaking heat wave sweeping across France.

During an emergency meeting dedicated to discussing the consequences of the heatwave, Locornu explained that his country is facing a tragic scourge in the form of escalating drowning cases, noting that the latest official death toll reported to the government reached 40 cases in just a few days, and that most of the victims are young people who tried to relax and escape the high temperatures.

Pressure on European governments: The current heatwave and drowning tragedy pose a direct challenge to leaders in Europe, as governments face pressure to improve emergency infrastructure and beach surveillance, coinciding with years of inflation that have strained the public finances of the continent's largest economies, such as France and Germany.

Despite the sharp rise in demand for electricity and cooling in Europe, global energy markets are relatively stable thanks to Switzerland's negotiating track between Washington and Tehran; Brent crude settled around $78 a barrel after the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, sparing European capitals further jumps in fuel prices.