PARIS (Reuters) - France's blistering heatwave has killed some 3,000 people in three weeks, according to health officials who described the death rate as an epidemic.
The government, which had been criticised for failing to act fast enough over the crisis, imposed emergency measures to recall medical staff from holidays as hospitals struggled to cope with floods of casualties, mainly old people.
Hospitals set up refrigerated tents to house patients with heat-related conditions, such as hyperthermia and dehydration.
"I think we can now qualify what is happening as a genuine epidemic," Health Minister Jean-Francois Mattei told French radio on Thursday.
The national health authority said the death toll of 3,000 included those killed directly or indirectly as a result of the heatwave since July 25 and was based on extrapolation from figures for Paris.
Undertakers, who the health authority said had seen a 37 percent increase in activity from August 6-12 compared to the same period last year, were set to work on Friday, a national holiday when most of them would normally be closed.
Mattei said the extended holiday weekend would be a difficult period, despite forecasters' predictions that the worst of the heatwave was over. Temperatures eased in Paris on Thursday but remained high.
Opposition politicians have attacked the government and accused it of failing to tackle a crisis in the health services and the electricity supply network during the peak holiday season. Mattei said he would not resign.
Most Parisians were able to enjoy a drop in temperatures to about 31 degrees Celsius (87 Fahrenheit) in the capital on Thursday compared to levels of around 40 degrees in recent days.
"The heatwave's over," Meteo France's Patrick Galois said. "Summer isn't over yet but even if there are hot periods in the coming weeks we won't have the temperatures seen in recent days."
City residents -- hot, bothered and often sleep-deprived over the past three weeks -- enjoyed a fresh breeze.
"This is much better. The breeze is bliss," said Chahrazad Khadraoui, 16, as she took a break from work in a fast-food restaurant. "But 30 degrees is still hot. Now we just need a bit of rain to cool things off so we can get to sleep."
Further south, temperatures also fell. The highest level forecast for Thursday in France was 34 C (93 F) the southwestern area around Carcassonne.
