French Prime Minister Mr Jean-PierreRaffarin ordered an inquiry today to find out how manydeaths were caused by a heatwave after a top funeral servicesgroup said thousands more may have died than previously thought.
An expert group estimated that 10,416 more people died in thefirst three weeks of August than in the same period last year.
So far, the government has put the number of deaths linkedto the heatwave at 3,000 and said a final toll as high as 5,000was possible.
Mr Raffarin's government was criticised for failing to act fastenough to deal with the plight of the country's elderly andfrail as temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104Fahrenheit).
"Out of respect for those affected by this painful crisis,we need a scientific study to establish reliable figures. We allneed to know the truth," his office said in a statement.
"The study should take no longer than a month. Until then,all estimates and projections should be handled with care."
Opposition leaders want a parliamentary inquiry into theconservative government's handling of the crisis, which sawhospitals filled with patients suffering heat-related conditionsand funeral services stretched to their limit. Temperaturescooled at the weekend.
President Jacques Chirac, who returned from a holiday inCanada today, has asked to be briefed on the government'shandling of the heatwave at a cabinet meeting tomorrow, hisoffice said in a statement.
Mr Lucien Abenhaim, the head of the national health authority,resigned on Monday after Health Minister Mr Jean-Francois Matteisaid Mr Abenhaim had failed to give him adequate warnings aroundAugust 11th, as the number of deaths started to spike higher.