LONDON, July 2 (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.

Europe is grappling with a severe heatwave, resulting in fatalities in Italy and prompting red alerts across multiple countries. Wildfires have triggered mass evacuations in Turkey and Greece, while France has closed schools and the Eiffel Tower due to safety concerns.