PARIS — France recorded 2,025 excess deaths during the late-June heatwave that swept across much of western Europe, Health Minister Stephanie Rist said on Friday, sharply raising an earlier preliminary estimate and underscoring the mounting human toll of one of the continent's most severe heat events on record.
Rist told French television that the preliminary estimate covered the week of June 22-28 and was based on electronic death certificates, which account for roughly 60% of all death registrations. She said the total would "certainly" be revised upward as additional certificates are processed.
The revised figure nearly doubled the initial estimate released by Public Health France on June 28, when the agency reported about 1,000 excess deaths since June 24 while warning the data were incomplete and likely underestimated.
According to Public Health France, deaths at home rose 91% during June 22-28 compared with the previous week, while fatalities also increased in hospitals and nursing homes. Authorities said the rise was particularly pronounced among people aged over 45, with older adults remaining the most affected demographic.
The Paris region was among the hardest hit. Public health officials said the surge in mortality highlighted the vulnerability of people living alone or in densely populated urban areas during prolonged periods of extreme heat and renewed calls for communities to check on isolated residents.
The heatwave, which affected large parts of Europe between about June 20 and June 28, brought temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in parts of France, strained healthcare services, disrupted transport and energy infrastructure, and prompted widespread heat alerts across the country.
Scientists with the World Weather Attribution initiative said the episode was the most intense heatwave Europe has experienced and concluded that temperatures of such magnitude would have been extremely unlikely without human-induced climate change.
The French government has also responded by strengthening contingency planning for future extreme heat. The Interior Ministry this week authorized local officials to cancel stages of the Tour de France if red-level heat alerts create unacceptable risks to public safety.
French health authorities said mortality data remain preliminary and will continue to be updated as additional death registrations are received and analyzed.
