New Delhi, July 1 -- Amid an intense heat wave in Europe, the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris will remain closed to visitors over the next two days. Temperatures in the French capital surged as high as 41degC (105.8degF) on Tuesday.

As the heat wave is set to peak over the coming days, driven by a blast of Saharan air, France's national weather agency, Meteo-France, issued red alerts for Paris and 15 other departments.

Due to the extreme heat, around 1,350 French schools were partially or fully shut on Tuesday. According to France Info, more than 5,000 homes experienced power outages in the Ardeche and Drome regions.

Train services between Paris and several cities, including Toulouse and Limousin, were also disrupted.

The soaring tem...