Europe Heatwave Leaves More Than 10,000 Dead in One Week

Europe Heatwave Leaves More Than 10,000 Dead in One Week

A devastating heatwave that swept across Western Europe in late June has been linked to more than 10,000 excess deaths, according to newly released mortality data.

The figures were published by EuroMOMO, a European mortality monitoring network supported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The data show that about 10,650 more people died than would normally be expected during the week of June 22 to 28, when soaring temperatures gripped countries including France, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Older adults were the hardest hit, with more than 9,000 of the additional deaths recorded among people aged 65 and above.

Health experts say the sharp rise in deaths closely coincided with the period of extreme temperatures.

Lasse Vestergaard, Chief Physician at Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut, which hosts the EuroMOMO network, described the mortality increase as unusually high for that time of year, noting that the heatwave is the most likely explanation for the surge.

Extreme heat poses serious health risks by triggering heatstroke and worsening existing heart and respiratory conditions, particularly among elderly people and those with underlying medical problems.

Scientists have also pointed to climate change as a major driver behind the unusually intense weather.

Recent research indicates that the late-June heatwave would have been virtually impossible without the influence of human-induced global warming, which has increased the frequency and severity of extreme heat events across Europe.

The mortality figures cover deaths from all causes across 27 European countries rather than only those officially classified as heat-related.

Researchers noted that there were no significant outbreaks of diseases such as COVID-19 or other major events during the period that could account for the sudden increase in deaths.

Data from previous weeks showed mortality levels had remained below seasonal averages, making the spike even more striking. Officials cautioned that the figures may still be updated as additional national data becomes available.

The heatwave caused widespread disruption across the continent, leading to power outages, school closures and record-breaking temperatures in several countries.

EuroMOMO identified France and Belgium as the only nations to record “very high” excess mortality during the final week of June, while Belgium’s public health institute reported that the country’s excess mortality was the highest recorded during any heatwave since its records began in 2000.

In the United Kingdom, a separate study released on Monday estimated that around 2,700 people died from heat-related causes during the May and June heatwaves in England and Wales.

Researchers from Imperial College London, the UK Met Office and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine concluded that about 42 percent of those deaths were attributable to the additional heat caused by climate change.