France's health ministry says the heatwave is responsible, directly or indirectly, for the deaths of between 1,500 and 3,000 people since late July. Undertakers in France are working flat out to cope, after an unusually long stretch of hot weather. Nationwide they have reported a 37 percent increase in deaths. The surprise government announcement came as officials launched an emergency plan in the Paris region to deal with the medical crisis. The so-called "White Plan" is normally reserved for epidemics, disasters or terrorist attacks. It allows for the recall of doctors and nurses, and for the provision of extra hospital beds and temporary mortuaries. A health ministry spokesman said on Thursday: "We've been on the case for several weeks but at first it was uncertain what the cause was, andunfortunately it took the first deaths and the increased pressure on the emergency wards to draw people's attention." Much of the population, ministers included, are away on holiday. That has led opposition parties to accuse the government of neglecting the crisis until anecdotal evidence began to mount up, such as a pile of death certificates at one hospital in Nantes. The government has previously insisted there is no way of measuring heat-related deaths. Many of those who died were elderly and living alone. Police trade union officials have called on the army to help remove bodies of the deceased. **PHOTO CAPTION*** France's Bugey nuclear power plant is seen on the banks of the Rhone river in Saint-Vulbas, near Lyon, August 12, 2003. (Robert Pratta/Reuters)