PARIS — Preliminary mortality data from several European countries showed the death toll linked to the continent's record-breaking late-June heatwave has surpassed 2,000, with officials warning the number is likely to rise further as health authorities complete their assessments.
French health authorities reported 2,025 excess deaths during the week beginning June 22, when temperatures reached unprecedented levels across much of the country. Belgium recorded about 1,200 additional deaths between June 18 and June 29, while the Netherlands reported around 480 excess deaths during the same period, bringing the combined toll in those three countries to roughly 3,700. Authorities in all three countries said the figures remain preliminary.
The heatwave, which stretched from the Iberian Peninsula across central Europe and into the Balkans, brought temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in several countries, disrupting transport networks, reducing electricity generation, straining hospitals and prompting emergency public health measures. Scientists have described it as Europe's most intense heatwave on record.
France's national public health agency said mortality rose sharply during the peak of the heatwave, with deaths at home increasing significantly compared with the previous week. Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said the majority of additional deaths occurred among older people, although the effects extended across multiple age groups. Public Health France said the current figures likely underestimate the full impact because not all deaths have yet been processed.
Spain separately reported more than 1,000 heat-related deaths during June, according to the Carlos III Health Institute, while officials across southern and central Europe continued to assess the broader public health consequences of the prolonged period of extreme temperatures.
Climate researchers from the World Weather Attribution initiative said the event would have been "virtually impossible" at this point in the summer without human-induced climate change. The World Health Organization has also warned that Europe is warming faster than any other continent and urged governments to strengthen heat-health action plans to protect vulnerable populations.
Governments in several affected countries have begun reviewing emergency preparedness and response measures as meteorologists warn that additional periods of extreme heat remain possible later this summer. Health authorities said they will continue updating mortality estimates as more complete data become available.
