At least four people have drowned in choppy seas off the Dutch coast on Sunday, police and news reports said, as thousands flocked to beaches to escape scorching temperatures.
Two bathers aged 24 and 28 years drowned in The Hague after being swept out to sea by strong currents, the NOS public broadcaster reported.
"It's terrible news that a young man has drowned," acting mayor Hilbert Bredemeijer told NOS. "The sea today is very dangerous. There have been a lot of incidents and a lot of rescues," he said.
Police later confirmed that a second victim died on his way to hospital.
Two other swimmers drowned at Wijk aan Zee and Zandvoort near Amsterdam, the NOS said, as the mercury rose above 30 degrees Celsius (89 degrees Fahrenheit) for a second consecutive day.
The Netherlands experienced the warmest August 9 on record, the Dutch online weather service weerplaza.nl said.
