Nearly 7,000 people died in France during heatwaves until late July, says health minister
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Nearly 7,000 people died in France during heatwaves until late July, says health minister")
Image is used for representational purpose. Photograph: (AFP)
French Health Minister Stephanie Rist confirmed nearly 7,000 excess deaths from summer heatwaves as of late July, with final data due in coming weeks. An earlier estimate for June 17–July 2 alone stood at 5,764 deaths.
French Health Minister Stephanie Rist confirmed on Friday (September 4) that nearly 7,000 excess deaths recorded during the blistering heatwaves that hit the country this summer as of late July. He also added that final data will be available by the coming weeks. France's public health agency had earlier also estimated excess deaths during the narrower period of June 17 to July 2 at 5,764.
At least 35,000 excess deaths in Europe
Earlier report indicated that at least 35,000 more people died during four record-breaking and back-to-back heatwaves in Europe this summer, according to reports. The data confirmed that excess mortality in three of the EU’s larger countries include Germany, France and Spain, alone which has already exceeded 25,000.
The consecutive heatwaves in 2026 across western Europe since May has broken all-time historical temperature records across hundreds of weather stations. In addition, France has marked its hottest national average day on record.
Germany saw record-breaking temperatures for three consecutive days in late June, with 46 weather stations recording readings above 40 C (104 F), while Spain faced sustained temperatures exceeding 42 C. Scientists attribute the growing frequency and intensity of such extreme weather events to human-caused climate change.
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Germany has recorded the highest death toll, with the country reporting an estimated 14,000 heat-related deaths between April 6 and August 9, according to figures released late last week. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's public health agency, noted that 9,600 of these deaths occurred in just one week—June 22 to 28.
Based on EU-wide excess mortality data systematically tracked since 2008, the only other summer week with a comparably high death rate was in July 2022, during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. This summer marks the deadliest on record for heat-related deaths in Germany since data collection began. The country's previous peak was 8,900 deaths in 2018, and the RKI noted that heat-related deaths in typical summers usually stay below 2,000.
