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At least three people have died as a heatwave likened to 'hell' swept across Europe , bringing with it temperatures of at least 40C.

The so-called Saharan Bubble weather is understood to have been linked to the deaths of three swimmers at beaches in France, according to local reports.

French news outlet LCI said the three swimmers had died in separate incidents on beaches in southern France.

A man aged 70 suffered a cardiac arrest in calm water and was believed to have been a victim of 'thermic shock' after coming into contact with the water.

European heatwave 2019 - In pictures 60 show all European heatwave 2019 - In pictures 1/60 People cool off in the sea in Nice as a heatwave hits France Reuters 2/60 Festivalgoers relax in the sunshine at the Glastonbury Festival EPA 3/60 A woman cools off at a fountain in downtown Turin, Ital EPA 4/60 Festival goers enjoying the sun during Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, PA 5/60 Young people cool off in a fountain in Lustgarten park during sweltering heat in Berlin, German Getty Images 6/60 People walk at La Concha beach in the northern Spanish city of San Sebastian in the scorching heat AFP/Getty Images 7/60 People sunbath in front of the Louvre Pyramid (Pyramide du Louvre) during a heatwave in Paris AFP/Getty Images 8/60 People cool off at a lake in Haltern am See, western Germany AFP/Getty Images 9/60 People cool off at a fountain at the yard of the Zwinger palace in Dresden, German EPA 10/60 People cool off at a open-air swimming pool in Haltern am See, western Germany AFP/Getty Images 11/60 Temperatures are expected to reach the upper 20s during Glastonbury. PA 12/60 Children cool down at the fountains of Parc Andre Citroen, during a heatwave in Paris, France EPA 13/60 A dog cools off in a water fountain at Parc de Sa Riera in Palma de Mallorca AFP/Getty Images 14/60 People jump from a bridge in the Aare River during the sunny and warm weather, in Bern. Switzerland AP 15/60 People play with a ball next to the lake Geneva on a hot summer day at sunset in Lausanne, Switzerland, EPA 16/60 People jump into the lake Geneva on a hot summer day at sunset in Saint Saphorin, Switzerland EPA 17/60 Men enjoy themselves at the beach, as a heatwave hits Spain, in Malaga. Reuters 18/60 A girl cools down in the fountains of Trocadero, across from the Eiffel Tower, during a heatwave in Paris. EPA 19/60 A tourist adjusts her hair while walking under the sun in front of the Colosseum in Rome. AFP/Getty Images 20/60 People crowd the beach at the Baltic Sea in Binz, Germany AP 21/60 A man takes a selfie picture with a mobile-phone as he stands in the middle of the Trocadero fountain in Paris. AFP/Getty Images 22/60 Youngsters sunbathe and cool themselves down in a pond at the Trocadero esplanade in Paris AFP/Getty Images 23/60 Nuns stand in the shadow of an umbrella and use a fan to protect from the heat on a hot summer day before attending the Pope's weekly general audience at Saint Peter's square at the Vatican AFP/Getty Images 24/60 People visit a swimming pool in the center of Lyon, central France AP 25/60 A display shows the temperature of 36 degree Celsius at a swimming pool in Essen, western Germany AFP/Getty Images 26/60 A Bishop in Colombia wants to spray holy water from a helicopter to exorcise demons from his town. AFP/Getty Images 27/60 People sun bath on the bank of the river Seine AFP/Getty Images 28/60 People cool off in Lake Wanasee in Berlin AFP/Getty Images 29/60 A polar bear named Nanook jumps in the water at the zoo in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany AFP/Getty Images 30/60 A visitor of Green Park in London lays in the sun, AP 31/60 People exercise in Green Park in London AP 32/60 Tourists shelter from the sun as they walk down the Spanish Steps in Rome AP 33/60 People enjoy the sunny and warm weather on the beach plage des Eaux-Vives on the shore of Lake of Geneva EPA 34/60 A man drinks from Bernini's 17th-century Barcaccia fountain, at the foot of the Spanish Steps AP 35/60 Kids cool down in a stream in the English Garden in Munich AP 36/60 Visitors swim in a swimming pool in Essen, western German AFP/Getty Images 37/60 People cool off in the fountains at the Andre Citroen park in Paris Reuters 38/60 People cool off in the Trocadero fountains across from the Eiffel Tower in Paris Reuters 39/60 People enjoy the sunny and warm weather on the plage des Eaux-Vives, on the shore of the Lake of Geneva, Switzerland AP 40/60 Boys jump into the canal near Reims, northeastern France, as temperatures soar AFP/Getty Images 41/60 A woman cools off in a fountain in Alexander Garden near the Kremlin Wall in Moscow, Russia AP 42/60 An elephant refreshes itself in a pool in its enclosure in the Opel zoo in Kronberg near Frankfurt, Germany, AP 43/60 AFP/Getty Images 44/60 Children play in a fountain during a hot summer day in Madrid, Spain EPA 45/60 People cool off in a swimming pool in Hannover, western Germany AFP/Getty Images 46/60 People the beach in Cuxhaven, northern Germany, AFP/Getty Images 47/60 Boys jump in the water at the Snail on Amager in Copenhagen, Denmar EPA 48/60 A woman and her child bathe at Amager Strandpark in Copenhagen, Denmark Reuters 49/60 Children jump into the water of Lake Geneva play to cool off during the sunny and warm weather, in Lutry, Switzerland, EPA 50/60 A teenager swims in the fountain of the Trocadero esplanade in Paris AFP/Getty Images 51/60 A woman cools off in the fountain of Trocadero in Paris AP 52/60 People enjoy the sunny and warm weather on the Bains des Paquis on the shore of Lake of Geneva EPA 53/60 A couple sails a rented electric boat on the Old Danube (Alte Donnau), a subsidiary of the Danube river, in Vienna, Austria AFP/Getty Images 54/60 A woman drinks water during sunset, as a heatwave hits France, in Cagnicourt near Cambrai, France Reuters 55/60 people enjoying the evening on the shore of lake Walensee in Walenstadt, Switzerland EPA 56/60 A youth enjoying the evening on lake Walensee in Walenstadt, Switzerland, EPA 57/60 A man cools off at a fountain in downtown Rome as a heatwave hits Italy Reuters 58/60 A boy jumps from a diving board in to a swimming pool in Goettingen, western Germany AFP/Getty Images 59/60 People cool off at a fountain in downtown Rome as a heatwave hits Italy Reuters 60/60 People jump into the Marecottes swimming pool on a hot summer day in the village of Les Marecottes in Valais, Switzerland EPA 1/60 People cool off in the sea in Nice as a heatwave hits France Reuters 2/60 Festivalgoers relax in the sunshine at the Glastonbury Festival EPA 3/60 A woman cools off at a fountain in downtown Turin, Ital EPA 4/60 Festival goers enjoying the sun during Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, PA 5/60 Young people cool off in a fountain in Lustgarten park during sweltering heat in Berlin, German Getty Images 6/60 People walk at La Concha beach in the northern Spanish city of San Sebastian in the scorching heat AFP/Getty Images 7/60 People sunbath in front of the Louvre Pyramid (Pyramide du Louvre) during a heatwave in Paris AFP/Getty Images 8/60 People cool off at a lake in Haltern am See, western Germany AFP/Getty Images 9/60 People cool off at a fountain at the yard of the Zwinger palace in Dresden, German EPA 10/60 People cool off at a open-air swimming pool in Haltern am See, western Germany AFP/Getty Images 11/60 Temperatures are expected to reach the upper 20s during Glastonbury. PA 12/60 Children cool down at the fountains of Parc Andre Citroen, during a heatwave in Paris, France EPA 13/60 A dog cools off in a water fountain at Parc de Sa Riera in Palma de Mallorca AFP/Getty Images 14/60 People jump from a bridge in the Aare River during the sunny and warm weather, in Bern. Switzerland AP 15/60 People play with a ball next to the lake Geneva on a hot summer day at sunset in Lausanne, Switzerland, EPA 16/60 People jump into the lake Geneva on a hot summer day at sunset in Saint Saphorin, Switzerland EPA 17/60 Men enjoy themselves at the beach, as a heatwave hits Spain, in Malaga. Reuters 18/60 A girl cools down in the fountains of Trocadero, across from the Eiffel Tower, during a heatwave in Paris. EPA 19/60 A tourist adjusts her hair while walking under the sun in front of the Colosseum in Rome. AFP/Getty Images 20/60 People crowd the beach at the Baltic Sea in Binz, Germany AP 21/60 A man takes a selfie picture with a mobile-phone as he stands in the middle of the Trocadero fountain in Paris. AFP/Getty Images 22/60 Youngsters sunbathe and cool themselves down in a pond at the Trocadero esplanade in Paris AFP/Getty Images 23/60 Nuns stand in the shadow of an umbrella and use a fan to protect from the heat on a hot summer day before attending the Pope's weekly general audience at Saint Peter's square at the Vatican AFP/Getty Images 24/60 People visit a swimming pool in the center of Lyon, central France AP 25/60 A display shows the temperature of 36 degree Celsius at a swimming pool in Essen, western Germany AFP/Getty Images 26/60 A Bishop in Colombia wants to spray holy water from a helicopter to exorcise demons from his town. AFP/Getty Images 27/60 People sun bath on the bank of the river Seine AFP/Getty Images 28/60 People cool off in Lake Wanasee in Berlin AFP/Getty Images 29/60 A polar bear named Nanook jumps in the water at the zoo in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany AFP/Getty Images 30/60 A visitor of Green Park in London lays in the sun, AP 31/60 People exercise in Green Park in London AP 32/60 Tourists shelter from the sun as they walk down the Spanish Steps in Rome AP 33/60 People enjoy the sunny and warm weather on the beach plage des Eaux-Vives on the shore of Lake of Geneva EPA 34/60 A man drinks from Bernini's 17th-century Barcaccia fountain, at the foot of the Spanish Steps AP 35/60 Kids cool down in a stream in the English Garden in Munich AP 36/60 Visitors swim in a swimming pool in Essen, western German AFP/Getty Images 37/60 People cool off in the fountains at the Andre Citroen park in Paris Reuters 38/60 People cool off in the Trocadero fountains across from the Eiffel Tower in Paris Reuters 39/60 People enjoy the sunny and warm weather on the plage des Eaux-Vives, on the shore of the Lake of Geneva, Switzerland AP 40/60 Boys jump into the canal near Reims, northeastern France, as temperatures soar AFP/Getty Images 41/60 A woman cools off in a fountain in Alexander Garden near the Kremlin Wall in Moscow, Russia AP 42/60 An elephant refreshes itself in a pool in its enclosure in the Opel zoo in Kronberg near Frankfurt, Germany, AP 43/60 AFP/Getty Images 44/60 Children play in a fountain during a hot summer day in Madrid, Spain EPA 45/60 People cool off in a swimming pool in Hannover, western Germany AFP/Getty Images 46/60 People the beach in Cuxhaven, northern Germany, AFP/Getty Images 47/60 Boys jump in the water at the Snail on Amager in Copenhagen, Denmar EPA 48/60 A woman and her child bathe at Amager Strandpark in Copenhagen, Denmark Reuters 49/60 Children jump into the water of Lake Geneva play to cool off during the sunny and warm weather, in Lutry, Switzerland, EPA 50/60 A teenager swims in the fountain of the Trocadero esplanade in Paris AFP/Getty Images 51/60 A woman cools off in the fountain of Trocadero in Paris AP 52/60 People enjoy the sunny and warm weather on the Bains des Paquis on the shore of Lake of Geneva EPA 53/60 A couple sails a rented electric boat on the Old Danube (Alte Donnau), a subsidiary of the Danube river, in Vienna, Austria AFP/Getty Images 54/60 A woman drinks water during sunset, as a heatwave hits France, in Cagnicourt near Cambrai, France Reuters 55/60 people enjoying the evening on the shore of lake Walensee in Walenstadt, Switzerland EPA 56/60 A youth enjoying the evening on lake Walensee in Walenstadt, Switzerland, EPA 57/60 A man cools off at a fountain in downtown Rome as a heatwave hits Italy Reuters 58/60 A boy jumps from a diving board in to a swimming pool in Goettingen, western Germany AFP/Getty Images 59/60 People cool off at a fountain in downtown Rome as a heatwave hits Italy Reuters 60/60 People jump into the Marecottes swimming pool on a hot summer day in the village of Les Marecottes in Valais, Switzerland EPA

Two other people died in similar circumstances. A woman, 62, died at a beach near Montpellier, and a man aged 75 also died at another beach nearby.

Parts of southern France and Spain recorded temperatures above 40 degrees.

French firefighters warned people should not swim in water that is too cold during the heatwave to avoid instances of so-called "hydrocution".

Swimmers are being advised to make sure they enter the water gradually.

European forecasters warned that “hell is coming” as the continent braces for the record breaking heatwave.

Meteorologists in France have issued warnings of a threat to life due to the heat and forecasters have predicted the country may experience its hottest June on record.

Parts of southern France and Spain recorded temperatures above 40 degrees on Wednesday.

The French weather agency set the heat warning level at orange - the second highest intensity on its four-level categorisation system for potentially dangerous conditions requiring public vigilance.

The alert system was introduced in France following the summer of 2003, which saw an estimated 15,000 heat-related deaths.

Many of those were older people left in city apartments and retirement homes that were not air-conditioned.

French authorities announced school closures and traffic restrictions due to the heat.

A 2,000 mile wide plume of hot air dubbed the “Saharan bubble” being blown across Africa is expected to bring hot conditions across the Continent to Britain following days of widespread downpours and flooding in the UK.

In Spain, forecaster Silvia Laplana tweeted a picture of an all-red weather map captioned: "El infierno [hell] is coming."

She later tweeted that while summer is hot, this "extensive and intense" heat was "not normal".

In Germany, temperatures above 40C are possible in some places on Wednesday, topping the country's previous June record of 38.2C, set in Frankfurt in 1947.

Parts of north-eastern Germany are also at high risk for forest fires. Authorities in the eastern state of Brandenburg, which circles Berlin, said the risk of forest fires is at the highest level in the coming days.

French and German authorities also warned of water shortages, volunteers handed out bottled water to homeless people in Belgium and in Poland.

The transport ministry in Germany's eastern Saxony-Anhalt state said it has imposed speed limits of 62 mph or 75 mph on several short stretches of highway until further notice.

Poland also recorded its highest ever June temperature on Wednesday of 38.2 degrees Celsius - the use of fans helped drive power demand to a record high.

The UK’s Met Office said temperatures will become “increasingly warm over the next few days".

Temperatures are expected to climb as high as 31C this weekend.

Revellers heading to Glastonbury have been warned to take extra precautions such as sunscreen and to seek shelter from the sunshine due to high UV levels.

Forecasters also said there could be severe storms during the latter part of the festival, with thunderstorms and potential flooding.

Campers are due to be greeted by cloudy but dry weather when the gates open at 8am, with sunshine and temperatures of up to 23 degrees from mid-afternoon.

Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: “It’s going to get very warm across parts of the west and southwest of the country from Wednesday, and it’ll feel hot in places across southern and western parts of the UK by Friday, with temperatures possibly reaching 30 Celsius in a few spots.

“Localised heatwaves are possible in a few places across the UK by Saturday.”

The highest temperature on record for June is 35.6 Celsius recorded in London on 29 June 1957 and Southampton on 28 June 1976.

Scientists say measurements show that heatwaves in Europe are becoming more frequent.

Stefan Rahmstorf, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said "monthly heat records all over the globe occur five times as often today as they would in a stable climate".