PARIS/LONDON/ROME: A prolonged heatwave sweeping Western Europe has killed dozens of people, broken temperature records and disrupted transport, schools, power supplies and major tourist sites across the region.

Britain recorded its highest June temperature on June 24, with the mercury reaching 36.1 degrees Celsius in Gosport, southern England. The reading surpassed the previous June record of 35.6 degrees Celsius, set in 1957 and matched in 1976.

Paris also recorded a June high of 40.9 degrees Celsius, a day after France logged its hottest day since records began nearly 80 years ago. Temperatures reached 44.3 degrees Celsius in the southwestern town of Pissos.

At least 48 people have died by drowning in France since the heatwave began as they tried to cool off, authorities said. Two young children also died from heat inside a car.

In Spain, two elderly people died of heatstroke after several days of temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. Conditions began to ease there on June 24 after what the national weather agency AEMET described as the hottest late-June days on record.

Italy placed 16 cities, including Florence, Milan, Rome, Turin and Verona, on its highest heat alert. The country's health ministry warned that temperatures could intensify further and peak between June 28 and June 29.

The extreme conditions are being driven by an "Omega block," a weather pattern that traps heat over an area for prolonged periods. The pattern is pushing temperatures as much as 18 degrees Celsius above normal, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.

Heatwaves and storms are being intensified by climate change, with Europe warming at more than twice the global average, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

France's nuclear power plants reduced output by about 7% of total demand because high temperatures restricted access to cooling water. Agricultural groups said hundreds of thousands of birds died at poultry farms in Brittany and the Pays de la Loire.

France's weather agency Meteo-France said the heat could continue through the end of the week and extended its red alert warning to 72 districts on June 25. It compared the conditions to the August 2003 heatwave, which lasted 16 days and caused an estimated 80,000 excess deaths across Europe.

Britain issued only its second extreme heat warning, while hundreds of schools either closed or shortened the school day. Rail services in London and Wales were also affected by speed restrictions, delays and cancellations.

Tourist attractions adjusted operations as visitors sought shelter from the heat. The Eiffel Tower and Louvre shortened their opening hours, while the Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace was scaled back.

The Uffizi Galleries in Florence suspended ticket sales on June 24 to repair an air-conditioning malfunction. In Paris, fashion houses including Dior and Rick Owens moved shows to the morning during Fashion Week.

"So many people who had travelled from around the world aren't getting the chance to see the sights that Paris has to offer because of this heatwave," said Tanya Thompson, a visitor from the United States.

Construction firms adjusted work schedules, farmers moved to night shifts and retailers struggled to meet demand for fans and portable air conditioners.

"We want a beer, a beer for the heat," said Father Israel from the Dominican Republic as he held up a large pint of lager in his hand.