Ergu©-gab©ric: A record-breaking heatwave sweeping across Europe triggered a power outage affecting about 68,000 homes in northwestern France today, marking the first major disruption of the current extreme heat event, authorities said.

According to Oman News Agency, the outage, caused by a transformer failure on the grid linked to scorching temperatures, occurred around 9:00 PM (19:00 GMT) in Ergu©-Gab©ric, near Quimper in Brittany, the Finist¨re prefecture said in a statement.

Crews from grid operators RTE and Enedis worked through the night to repair the fault, but power was not expected to be fully restored until the end of the day at the earliest.

Up to 106,000 customers were affected until Tuesday evening, as the intense heatwave swept across Europe and France recorded its highest daily temperatures on record.

The French electricity company said it could not reconnect affected homes during the day for technical reasons, and would restore supply as soon as possible, aiming for the end of Wednesday.

Finist¨re is among 58 French departments placed on the highest red alert for the severe heatwave on Wednesday, with temperatures expected to reach 39-41°C from Brittany to the Paris region.

Experts attribute the extreme conditions to atmospheric patterns that trap hot air for days, compounded by climate warming.