Paris - An earthquake of 5.2 on the Richter scale rocked western France today, while temperatures of up to 40 degrees are forecast next week.

According to the National Seismic Surveillance Network, the epicenter of the earthquake was located near the commune of Bressuire, in the region of Nueva Aquitania.

The earthquake occurred shortly before 9:00 local time and was noticeable in many cities in the west of the country such as La Rochelle, Nantes, and Niort.

On the other hand, temperatures will rise next week in almost all of France to reach 40 degrees Celsius in a significant part of the country, predicted today the specialized service of Meteo France.

Since Monday 'values between 35 and 40 degrees are expected in a large part of the territory,' the entity warned in a bulletin, adding that at night the decline will be minimal and temperatures will remain above 20 degrees .

The origin of the heat will be in a mass of very hot air from the Maghreb and Spain.

On Tuesday, the Minister of Health, Agnes Buzyn, led a meeting aimed at taking the necessary measures to deal with summer heat waves, after last year's high temperatures caused an over-mortality of 1,500.