Paris mortuaries overwhelmed as Europe’s record heat drives up death toll

Paris mortuaries overwhelmed as Europe’s record heat drives up death toll2-MIN READ2-MIN0ListenPublished: 2:24pm, 29 Jun 2026Updated: 2:39pm, 29 Jun 2026Every few minutes, the mortuary owner’s phone rings. Since a record-smashing heatwave started taking lives and storage space for bodies in Paris and beyond, the funeral directors and mourning families calling him mostly have the same question: do you have room for one more?With all 32 places in his cold room taken, Zouhaeir Hertelli reluctantly has to gently say “Non”, over and over and over again.“We’re facing a really catastrophic situation,” he said. “I’m getting hundreds of calls.”Select VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x