European heatwave deaths top 10,000 with elderly making up 90% of victims

A record-breaking heatwave that hit western Europe in late June resulted in more than 10,000 excess deaths across 27 countries.

According to the official data released on Monday, July 13, more than 9,000 of the deceased were people aged 65 or older. The mortality tracking system is backed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The research showcased that the period of late June is “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change, which is making such extreme weather events more frequent and intense.

These statistics span the week of June 22 to 28, when the temperature was highest in France, Spain, Britain and other countries. There were no other notable contributory factors to the rise to 10,650 excess deaths, such as COVID-19 infections.

Both France and Belgium saw “very high excess” mortality, with Belgium witnessing the most heatwave fatalities since the recording began in the year 2000. In separate research, it was found that there were 2,700 heat-related deaths just in England and Wales in the months of May and June.

The extreme heat wave also caused disruptions in power supplies and forced schools to close, shattering all heat records across the continent.