German highways buckle under extreme temperatures with heatwave on the move

German highways buckle under extreme temperatures with heatwave on the move Even Germany’s famous highway, the Autobahn, was overwhelmed - Bookmark Germany is grappling with widespread disruption as a severe heatwave, which has already scorched western Europe, moves across the central and eastern parts of the continent. Authorities have reported highway damage and widespread train cancellations as temperatures are forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius. The extreme conditions led to the evacuation of dozens of residents from a nursing home in Dormagen, western Germany, due to dangerous indoor temperatures reaching 35C. A resident died overnight but it remains unclear whether the heat was the direct cause, a city spokesperson informed German news agency dpa. Air conditioning is not common in Germany and many European countries, which are largely unaccustomed to such oppressive heat. The country's infrastructure has also been severely impacted. Sections of the famous Autobahn, specifically the A2 outside Berlin, burst due to the intense heat, forcing closures. Other highway damages have been reported nationwide, according to German daily Bild. In response to the crisis, national train operator Deutsche Bahn and other rail companies have advised against all non-essential travel this weekend. "Germany’s transportation infrastructure is being severely affected by the record-breaking heat this weekend," Deutsche Bahn stated, offering passengers refunds for tickets if they choose 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.