More than 10,000 excess deaths were recorded across Europe during the record-breaking heatwave that swept western parts of the continent in late June, according to official mortality data published on Monday.
The figures, released by EuroMOMO, a mortality monitoring network backed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), show that 10,650 excess deaths occurred during the week of June 22-28, when temperatures peaked across France, Spain, Britain and other European countries.
More than 9,000 of those deaths were among people aged 65 and older, highlighting the disproportionate impact of extreme heat on elderly populations.
Scientists Point to Extreme Heat
Extreme heat can be fatal by causing heat stroke or by worsening cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, with older people among the most vulnerable.
“To have this kind of excess at this time of year is unusual. It’s really high,” said Lasse Vestergaard, Chief Physician at Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut, which hosts EuroMOMO to Reuters.
“It is difficult to explain this high excess mortality by anything but the extreme heat,” he added.
The EuroMOMO data measure excess deaths from all causes rather than deaths officially attributed to heat. However, scientists said there were no other known major factors, such as COVID-19 outbreaks, that could explain the sudden increase.
In the eight weeks preceding the heatwave, the same 27 European countries recorded average weekly mortality levels around 500 deaths below the expected norm.
Record Temperatures Across Western Europe
The late-June heatwave disrupted power supplies, forced school closures and shattered temperature records in several countries, including France, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Scientists have previously said the event would have been “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change, which is making heatwaves more frequent and more intense.
While EuroMOMO does not publish country-by-country excess mortality figures, it reported that France and Belgium were the only countries to experience “very high excess” mortality during the final week of June.
Belgium’s public health institute, Sciensano, said the country recorded its highest excess mortality during any heatwave since records began in 2000.
Separate Study Highlights Climate Change Impact
A separate scientific study published on Monday estimated that approximately 2,700 people died from heat-related causes in England and Wales during the May and June heatwaves.
According to researchers from Imperial College London, the UK Met Office and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, around 42% of those deaths were attributable to the additional heat caused by global warming.
