Heat wave closes parts of Germany’s Autobahn, trains canceled

LONDON (AP) — Authorities in Germany reported damage to highways and train cancellations on Saturday as a heat wave that baked western European countries this week moves to central and eastern parts of the continent. Temperatures in Germany are expected to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). In the western city of Dormagen, dozens of residents of a nursing home were evacuated for medical care due to dangerous heat conditions in the building. The local fire department reported that temperatures inside the home had

reached 35 C (95 F). Air conditioning is not widespread in Germany and many countries in Europe because the continent is largely unused to such oppressive heat. A resident at the home died overnight, but it was not yet clear whether the heat was the cause, a city spokesperson told German news agency dpa. Even Germany’s famous highway, the Autobahn, was overwhelmed. In two places outside Berlin, the concrete of the A2 burst due to the high temperatures and it had to be closed. Other

highway damages were also reported across the country, according to German daily Bild. Train operator Deutsche Bahn and other rail companies advised against all nonessential travel on long-distance and regional trains this weekend. “Germany’s transportation infrastructure is being severely affected by the record-breaking heat this weekend,” Deutsche Bahn said in a statement, adding that passengers could return their tickets and get back their money if they chose not to travel. Hospitals under intense pressure in France In France, temperatures were easing as the peak of

the heat wave was starting to pass in some parts of the country. But hospitals remained under intense pressure in the face of heat-related emergencies, including heart attacks, heatstroke, dehydration and heat-related fatalities. In the capital, the Paris public hospital authority said it activated its emergency response plan across all 38 hospitals to deal with a continuous increase in activity. In a statement on Friday evening, the AP-HP hospitals authority said its emergency departments treated nearly 3,000 patients in last 24 hours, over a third

more than normal, with a large proportion of them over the age of 75 requiring hospitalization. Phone calls to its medical dispatch centers were up nearly 80% compared with the same period in 2025, the authority said. Three-quarters of France, encompassing tens of millions of people, were put under a red alert for extreme heat on Thursday and Friday as the mercury topped 40 C (104 F) in some locations, including in Paris. The country recorded its hottest-ever day on Wednesday, as the average temperature

measured at 30 French weather stations hit 30 C (86 F.) Temperatures in the UK slowly climbing down after 3 record heat days In the U.K., sweltering conditions are expected to gradually ease this weekend though an amber warning — one step down from red — remained in place until Saturday night. Britons struggled to cope this week as the record June temperature was smashed three days in a row. Friday was confirmed as the country’s hottest June day on record, with a provisional temperature

of 37.3 C (99 F) recorded in eastern England. It was more than 1 C hotter than the long-standing record for June heat in the U.K., set in the summer of 1976. On Saturday, police said a 22-year-old man’s body was recovered from a river after he reportedly got into difficulty in the water during the heat wave. Authorities have warned people to take extra care when swimming in unsupervised areas, such as rivers or lakes, following the deaths of around 40 people in France

over the past week. Grieshaber reported from Berlin and Leicester reported from Paris.

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