“More than 1,300 excess deaths have been recorded since 21 June linked to high temperatures in Europe.” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted that on X on Sunday, June 28, as a heatwave that began in western Europe pushed east.
France accounts for most of the count. French health officials said on Sunday morning that the country had logged around 1,000 more deaths than expected since Wednesday. The Health Ministry said the figure is not final and rests only on electronic death certificates, which typically cover about 60% of national mortality. Deaths at home are a particular blind spot.
Who is dying
The ministry said all age groups were affected, but 85% of the dead were aged 65 or older. Deaths rose in hospitals, nursing homes and private homes, and deaths at home jumped by 40%. The increase was sharpest in regions under red alert, including Ile-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Brittany, Centre-Val de Loire, Normandy and Pays de la Loire.
The ministry recorded more than 1,200 deaths from all causes on June 24 and over 1,400 on each of June 25 and 26. In April and May the daily figure was 900 to 1,000. Tuesday, June 23, was the hottest day ever recorded nationwide, beating the 2003 mark.
Emergency callouts in Paris were up 80% on the same period last year, and more than 55 drownings in France have been linked to the heat.
Records fall in the east
The heat has moved toward Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. AFP estimated that at least 191 million people would face temperatures of 35C or more on Sunday, and 381 million in Europe, excluding Turkey, would see more than 30C.
The Czech weather institute CHMI recorded 41.1C at Doksany, north of Prague, a day after a reading of 40.9C. “This is the first time we have ever registered a temperature of 41 degrees in our official weather station network,” it said. Germany’s weather service reported a provisional 41.7C at Coschen in Brandenburg, its third record in as many days. Saturday night was the hottest on record in Germany, with Kubschuetz in Saxony not falling below 84.92F. Poland logged 40.5C in Slubice, which would beat a record from July 1994 if confirmed.
Leipzig halted its trams after heat melted asphalt and damaged tracks and points. At least seven people died in swimming accidents in Germany over the weekend. Swiss operators shut down reactors at Europe’s oldest nuclear plant because river water had grown too warm to cool them safely. Paris and Lyon postponed Pride marches because of pressure on emergency services.
What the WHO said
Tedros said millions of people are “living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling.” Heat stress, he said, is often called the “silent killer,” and “European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for these temperatures.”
He said the once-in-a-generation heatwave now occurs nearly every year, and that Europe is heating at twice the global average. He urged countries to adopt heat health action plans, and said the WHO is working with member states on preparedness, prevention and stronger health system responses.
Thunderstorms followed the heat in Belgium. A man died near Brussels on Saturday night when a tree fell on his car.
Sources
- More than 1,300 excess deaths recorded in Europe heatwave: WHO
- Europe heat wave: Over 1,300 excess deaths, WHO says
- More than 1,300 excess deaths recorded amid heatwave in Europe, WHO chief says
