SRINAGAR: A record-breaking heatwave that swept across Europe in late June has claimed at least 3,700 excess lives in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, with authorities warning that the toll is expected to rise as more data becomes available.
France has been the worst affected, recording 2,025 excess deaths during the week of June 22 to 28, according to Public Health France. The figure represents a 29.1 per cent increase over the previous week, when 6,948 deaths were recorded. The health agency has so far counted 8,973 deaths for the peak week of the heatwave but said the tally remains incomplete.
The latest figures double an earlier preliminary estimate of about 1,000 additional deaths released last week, underscoring the severity of what meteorologists described as France’s hottest June since records began in 1947.
Temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius across more than 40 per cent of the country during the June 17-30 heatwave, overwhelming emergency services, disrupting transport and forcing schools to close.
Health authorities reported a particularly sharp rise in deaths occurring at private homes, which increased by 91 per cent compared with the previous week. Deaths in nursing homes rose by 37 per cent, while hospital fatalities increased by nearly 20 per cent.
The Paris region recorded the steepest increase, with deaths rising by almost 63 per cent over the same period. Funeral homes in the capital reported running out of storage space, forcing some mortuaries to turn bodies away.
Although people aged 65 years and above accounted for the largest share of fatalities, Public Health France also noted a significant rise in deaths among people aged between 45 and 64 years. Young people were not spared, with four children dying after being left in overheated parked vehicles during the heatwave.
Doctors across France reported treating a surge of patients suffering from dehydration, heatstroke, heart attacks and kidney failure as temperatures reached unprecedented levels.
The extreme weather has also triggered political fallout. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s government faces a possible no-confidence vote amid criticism that France was inadequately prepared for the prolonged spell of extreme heat.
Neighbouring Belgium reported 1,222 excess deaths between June 18 and June 29, about 39 per cent above normal mortality levels. Belgian health authorities described the increase as “unprecedented,” noting that the country experienced seven consecutive days with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius along with unusually warm nights.
In the Netherlands, officials estimated that around 480 excess deaths occurred during the same period, with the highest mortality recorded among people over the age of 80.
Scientists have attributed the intensity of the late June heatwave to human-induced climate change, saying rising global temperatures are making such extreme weather events more frequent and severe.
The latest episode has revived memories of France’s catastrophic 2003 heatwave, when around 15,000 people died, mostly elderly residents in nursing homes. While officials believe the current death toll will remain below that level, they expect it to exceed fatalities recorded during last year’s heatwave, which claimed about 5,700 lives.
Authorities across Europe have cautioned that mortality figures remain preliminary and are likely to increase as reporting is completed.
