London

Coroner to investigate death of princess’ friend

A British coroner is preparing an inquest into the death of Dodi Fayed, six years after he was killed with Princess Diana when their car crashed in a Paris tunnel, authorities said Friday.

Michael Burgess, the coroner for Surrey County south of London where Fayed lived, has yet to set a date for the inquest.

Buckingham Palace said because British law required an inquest to be conducted here into the death of any Briton overseas, an investigation into Diana’s death would be held eventually.

Paris

Heat wave toll topped 11,000, French say

France’s first comprehensive tally of the searing heat wave stirred fresh outrage Friday when the government revealed that an alarming 11,435 people had died — far beyond its initial estimates.

The death toll — some 4,000 more than died in traffic accidents in France last year — fueled accusations that the government reacted too slowly.

From Aug. 1 to 15, when much of Europe baked in record temperatures, France saw an average 762 more deaths each day than normal, according to the Health Ministry figures.