French shoppers fight over fans as heatwave sparks supermarket chaos

Frenzied crowds in France have been fighting over fans and portable air conditioners as a record-breaking heatwave grips Europe, with supermarket doors crushed and police called to restore order.

Lidl France promised 200,000 fans and portable air conditioners nationwide on Thursday, sparking a rush with shoppers queuing before dawn. At a store in Nanterre, western Paris, more than 100 people stormed in as doors opened, crushing the entrance. Customers fought over stock, with only about 10 managing to buy a fan or air conditioner.

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At a store in Yvelines, shelves were cleared within minutes and fights broke out over the last few boxes of fans.

The chaos comes as temperatures remain above 40 degrees Celsius across much of Europe. In Spain, June was the second hottest on record, with temperatures 3.2 degrees above normal. The country recorded 1,029 heat-related excess deaths in June – the highest for the month since 2015.

Experts warn that heatwaves in Europe are arriving earlier, becoming more frequent and lasting longer as global warming intensifies extreme weather.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓