At least 3,700 more deaths have been recorded in France, Belgium and the Netherlands alone as a result of the June heat wave, which caused temperatures to rise above 40 °C (104 °F).
Experts have said the heat wave that ran from June 20-28 was the worst on record in Europe, and officials have warned that the death toll is preliminary and could rise.
France recorded 2,025 additional deaths, a 29.1% increase from the normal figure, according to Health Minister Stephanie Rist. Public Health France said that while people over the age of 65 have the largest percentage of deaths, there has also been an increase in deaths among people aged 45-64.
Deaths at home increased by more than 90% between June 22-28 compared with the previous week, while deaths in nursing homes and health facilities also increased, the country’s public health authority said in a statement.
“The death toll will likely be higher than these initial figures,” the authority warned.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will likely face a no-confidence vote in parliament on Monday over his government’s handling of the extreme heat that has disrupted daily life, forced the closure of schools and canceled trains.
Belgium reports ‘unprecedented’ heat
In neighboring Belgium, the health ministry said 1,222 additional deaths were recorded between June 18 and June 29, a death rate about 39% higher than normal.
“Such a high level of mortality during a heat wave is unprecedented in our country,” the ministry said in a statement, noting that Belgium had recorded “seven tropical days with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit)” as well as “abnormally” hot nights.
Temperatures in Belgium peaked on Friday, June 26, when much of the country was placed under an orange or red heat alert, causing authorities to cancel several events, including a reenactment of the Battle of Waterloo of 1815.
In the north of the Netherlands, Dutch authorities said the heat wave caused about 480 additional deaths, mainly in the south and east of the country where temperatures were the highest.
As in Belgium and France, most deaths were recorded among older people.
Heat wave: Temperature records broken across Europe
More than two-thirds of Europe’s 410 million population experienced temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius during the heat wave, according to an analysis by the AFP news agency.
All-time temperature records were broken in Germany, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, as well as June records in the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
Average temperatures in France reached record highs, notably including the hottest nights ever recorded in the country.
France also experienced an unusually early heat wave in May, with health officials saying there were at least 300 more deaths than expected during that period.
Nearly 15,000 people died in France during a severe heat wave in 2003, including many elderly people in nursing homes.
France: How many households use air conditioning?
As a result, politicians have faced criticism for failing to take measures to combat rising temperatures.
According to state environment agency Adem, the share of French households equipped with air conditioning is expected to rise from 18% in 2023 to 24% in 2025.
By comparison, about 90% of homes in the United States had air conditioning in 2020, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
In the absence of infrastructure and building measures, many people in France are abandoning their long-held dislike of air conditioning on environmental grounds and rushing to buy cooling units.
A recent survey cited by AFP showed that eight in 10 French people once considered air-con not environmentally friendly, but on June 22, amid a heat wave, supermarket giant Carrefour said it had sold 30,000 units by 6:30 p.m.
According to CEO Alexandre Bompard, “a thousand times more than on a normal day.”
Edited by: Shawn Sinico
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