Belgium hit record high of 41.8 C on Thursday

Belgian meteorologists registered a record high temperature for the country on Thursday when western Europe sweltered under a heatwave that has severely disrupted transport.

David Dehenauw, chief forecaster at the Royal Meteorological Institute, said on Friday that a high of 41.8 degrees Celsius had been recorded the day before in the northern town of Begijnendijk -- the highest since records began.