Tens of thousands of homes in western France are without power, with temperatures set to peak across the country on Wednesday during a record-breaking heatwave.
About 68,000 homes in Brittany have been affected, with electricity unlikely to be fully restored until Wednesday night at the earliest, authorities said.
More than half of the country remains under a red heat alert, with a high of 43C (109.4F) possible later in the day in the southwest, according to forecaster Météo France.
The peak comes after the country experienced its hottest day since records began on Tuesday, with an average temperature of 29.8C (85.54F).
Pissos, in the south-western Landes region, saw a scorching temperature of 44.3C on Tuesday, Météo France said.
The country also experienced its hottest night ever recorded from Monday night into Tuesday, with an average temperature of 29.9C across the country, the forecaster said.
The heatwave spread to other parts of western Europe on Wednesday, with an orange alert for dangerous weather in place for parts of the Netherlands.
A rare red heat alert is in place for parts of the UK, where temperatures could hit 38C on Thursday.
Temperatures are expected to peak in the Netherlands and Belgium on Friday, while the mercury in Germany is expected to rise to 40C over the weekend.
The heatwave will also extend to eastern Europe over the next few days, with severe heat warnings issued for countries including Poland, Croatia and Hungary for later in the week.
So far, France, Spain and Italy have been hardest hit by the heatwave.
