Heatwave Overwhelms Paris Funeral Home, Stalling Graves

The scorching summer has pushed a modest funeral house in Orly to its limits. The cold room can hold only 32 bodies, and every slot is taken.

• A thousand extra deaths were recorded in the last week, with numbers still climbing.
• Families, nursing homes and police keep calling the funeral director for space.

During the peak of the heat, he received 150 calls in one weekend and had to refuse many because there was no room left. Even though temperatures are easing, they remain near 30 °C and may rise again. The local weather office warns that high heat will continue next week.

Because the morgue is full, people who die in homes or care facilities must wait longer for burial or cremation. The director has asked authorities to bring a refrigerated trailer to the site, but that would only delay proceedings further. Some bodies may have to stay in storage for weeks.

Doctors say the rise in deaths is especially high among older people, both in care homes and at home. They urge the public to watch over isolated seniors during hot spells, as a new heatwave could worsen conditions.

In the nearby town of Melun, a doctor signed eight death certificates in four days during last week’s heat surge—four times the number recorded the same period a year ago. The situation highlights how extreme weather can strain even small community services.