PARIS, May 26 (Reuters) - Seven people have died in France directly or indirectly due to a heat wave, Junior Energy Minister Maud Bregeon said on Tuesday, which has become the hottest day in May recorded in French history, according to the national weather service.
• The national heat index, which measures the average temperature across the country, reached 24.8 degrees Celsius, Meteo France’s preliminary readings at 5 pm on Tuesday showed. This beat 24.6 degrees Celsius on Monday and thus marked the hottest day ever recorded in the month of May nationwide.
• Five of the seven fatalities were people drowning in lakes, rivers or beaches, Bregeon said.
• The government has ordered local authorities to take measures to protect people during sporting events, she said.
• France has been experiencing higher-than-average temperatures since Saturday.
• Most of Brittany has been under an orange level warning by weather service Meteo France, which expects temperatures to reach up to 36 degrees Celsius (96.8° Fahrenheit) on Tuesday afternoon.
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• The heat wave is expected to continue on Wednesday and Thursday, Meteo France said on its website.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro; additional reporting by Dominique Vidalon Editing by Jan Harvey and Bernadette Baum)
