Macron calls for vigilance as western Europe faces second heatwave of year

More than half of France’s population is under a severe weather warning as large swathes of western Europe endure the second extreme heat event of the year, with temperatures expected to exceed 40C (104F).

The French president called for “extreme vigilance”, urging people to “take care of our oldest and most vulnerable people” and follow government advice. “We are going through difficult days,” Emmanuel Macron said.

A 30-year-old man died after going into cardiac arrest on an athletics track near Paris on Thursday as the temperature reached 37C. The rail operator SNCF cancelled 71 intercity trains, while schools rescheduled exams.

Météo-France extended its ⁠orange heatwave alert to 60 of the country’s 96 mainland departments – home to about 41 million people – on Friday and Saturday, warning of a “widespread, prolonged ​and intense” heatwave.

The national weather service said several more departments could be added over the weekend and that some alerts could be raised to red, the highest level. “In terms of duration and severity, this event could equal that of August 2003,” it said.