Heatwave in Europe Claims Over 10,000 Lives
Extreme heat in late June caused more than 10,000 deaths in Western Europe, with the majority being people aged 65 and older.
According to EuroMOMO data compiled by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization, a record heatwave in Western Europe at the end of June led to over 10,000 deaths. The vast majority of victims—more than 9,000—were aged 65 years or older.
Dr. Lasse Vestergaard, chief physician at the Statens Serum Institut in Denmark, stated that the number of deaths is unusual for this time of year and extremely high. He said it is difficult to explain such a surge in mortality without attributing it to the extreme heat.
Scientists emphasize that this heatwave would have been "virtually impossible" without human-induced climate change. Global warming makes such heatwaves more frequent and intense.
The data covers the week of June 22–28, when the heatwave peaked in France, Spain, the UK, and other countries. Although the statistics include all causes of death, researchers found no other significant factors, such as COVID-19 outbreaks, that could explain the sharp rise in excess deaths to 10,650 that week.
EuroMOMO does not publish high mortality data for individual countries, but according to the network's statistics, France and Belgium were the only European countries with "very high" excess mortality in the last week of June. Data from the Belgian health institute Sciensano indicates that this was the highest excess mortality ever recorded during any heatwave since 2000.
Meanwhile, France issued a "red" extreme heat warning for 37 departments on July 12. Forecasters predict worsening conditions that could fuel wildfires. Due to the new heatwave, some tourist attractions have reduced hours and Bastille Day fireworks have been cancelled in several cities. The French government activated an emergency plan, and President Emmanuel Macron called for extra caution with fire amid elevated fire risk.
