LONDON (Reuters) -Four people died in Spain, two in France and two in Italy as an early summer heatwave continued to grip much of Europe on Wednesday, triggering health alerts and forest fires and forcing the closure of a nuclear reactor at a Swiss power plant.

Europe is sweltering under an intense heatwave, as temperatures soar across Spain, Portugal, France and Italy for one of the hottest summer starts ever recorded.

The first major heat wave of the summer has hit Europe, exposing millions of people to record-breaking temperatures, closing tourist attractions, and fueling wildfires due to dry conditions. France, Greece,