Heatwave blamed for 20 deaths in France

PARIS, July 21 (Reuters) A heatwave in France has probably killed 20 people this week, including a 15-month old baby, the Health Ministry said in a statement today.

A ministry official said the baby died in Paris where temperatures hit 37 Celsius earlier this week, but provided no further details.

Of the other victims, 10 were aged 80 or over, four collapsed at their workplace, two died while playing sport, two were homeless and one was an obese youth ''in poor physical condition''.

Temperatures of well above 30 Celsius have been registered across France over the past week and weather forecasters say the heatwave looks set to continue well into next week.

However, it was not as hot as 2003, when around 15,000 mostly old people died in a heat wave that lasted less than a month.

The high death toll stunned health authorities and local officials have worked hard to try to improve their response to heatwaves, supplying air conditioning to retirement homes and broadcasting constant information on how to cope in the heat.

Much of Europe has been affected by the heatwave.

Temperatures in southern Britain hit a July record of 36.3 Celsius earlier this week and British farmers have begun harvesting wheat fields early because of the dry weather.

Members of Poland's ruling conservative party prayed for rain at a special mass in a parliamentary chapel yesterday to end a drought plaguing wheat, potato and dairy farmers.

Reuters DKA RS1922