Italy limited work outdoors, France shut schools and Turkey battled wildfires on Tuesday in a European heatwave that meteorologists said was "exceptional" for striking so early this year. Spain confirmed its hottest June on record,

Barcelona recorded its hottest June in over a century, the summit of Paris' iconic Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors and hundreds of French schools shut Tuesday as Europe sizzled in its first major heat wave of the summer.

Sixteen departments have been placed on red alert, the highest level of warning, and 68 on orange alert as France faces the peak of a lengthy heatwave, which has already lasted 13 days.