As Europe swelters in extreme heat, Eiffel Tower closes its top level and a Swiss reactor shuts down

A heatwave blasted Europe on Wednesday as several countries, including France, Italy and Spain, issued heat alerts..

Extreme temperatures soared across Europe on Wednesday as several countries issued heat alerts, with a Swiss power company shutting down one of its reactor units, France partially closing the Eiffel Tower and two people in Spain dying in a heat wave.

In Switzerland, energy company Axpo shut down one of the reactor units at its Beznau nuclear power plant because of high water temperature in the River Aare. The plant, which typically takes cooling water from the river for use before returning it, is prevented from doing so by Swiss regulations when temperatures reach 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher to avoid causing damage to aquatic fauna and flora.

“Due to the high river water temperatures, Axpo has been increasingly reducing the output of the two reactor units at the Beznau nuclear power plant for days,” the company said in a statement Wednesday, adding that one unit was currently operating at 50% capacity.

In France, the national weather service Wednesday issued a rare red alert in four regions where the heat wave was expected to last until 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET).

In Paris, officials said the Eiffel Tower's top level would remain closed to visitors because of the current heat wave. According to its website, rising temperatures cause the puddled iron of the tower to expand in size and tilt slightly, but without causing any impact to its structural integrity.