VelvetBlade
August 18th, 2003, 11:16 AM
French Official Resigns After Heat Deaths
44 minutes ago
PARIS - A senior French health official resigned Monday after the health minister acknowledged that as many as 5,000 people might have died in a blistering heat wave. http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030816/thumb.1061050828.france_heat_deaths_dij801.jpg (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030816/168/4zt22.html)
AP Photo (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/030816/168/4zt22.html)
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20030818/thumb.sge.rir67.180803143414.photo00.default-384x256.jpg (javascript: rs()
AFP (javascript: rs() http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/auctions/cam.gifSlideshow: Europe Gripped by Heat Wave (javascript: rs()
Lucien Abenhaim, director general of health, said he was leaving his post because of the criticism leveled at the government over its handling of the heat wave earlier this month. He sent his resignation letter to embattled Health Minister Jean-Francois Mattei. Mattei, who also is facing calls for his resignation, said earlier that it is "plausible" that up to 5,000 people could have died but the final death toll would not be known for several weeks. His ministry has estimated that 1,600 to 3,000 people — mostly elderly — died from heat-related causes starting Aug. 7. Many of the deaths resulted from heat stroke or dehydration, doctors said. Last week, Patrick Pelloux, the head of France's emergency physicians' association and a leading critic of the government's response, said as many as 5,000 people could have died from heat stroke, dehydration and other effects of the withering heat.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030818/ap_on_re_eu/france_heat_wave
44 minutes ago
PARIS - A senior French health official resigned Monday after the health minister acknowledged that as many as 5,000 people might have died in a blistering heat wave. http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030816/thumb.1061050828.france_heat_deaths_dij801.jpg (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030816/168/4zt22.html)
AP Photo (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/030816/168/4zt22.html)
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20030818/thumb.sge.rir67.180803143414.photo00.default-384x256.jpg (javascript: rs()
AFP (javascript: rs() http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/auctions/cam.gifSlideshow: Europe Gripped by Heat Wave (javascript: rs()
Lucien Abenhaim, director general of health, said he was leaving his post because of the criticism leveled at the government over its handling of the heat wave earlier this month. He sent his resignation letter to embattled Health Minister Jean-Francois Mattei. Mattei, who also is facing calls for his resignation, said earlier that it is "plausible" that up to 5,000 people could have died but the final death toll would not be known for several weeks. His ministry has estimated that 1,600 to 3,000 people — mostly elderly — died from heat-related causes starting Aug. 7. Many of the deaths resulted from heat stroke or dehydration, doctors said. Last week, Patrick Pelloux, the head of France's emergency physicians' association and a leading critic of the government's response, said as many as 5,000 people could have died from heat stroke, dehydration and other effects of the withering heat.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030818/ap_on_re_eu/france_heat_wave