Europe heatwave linked to 3,700 excess deaths, toll may rise

At least 3,700 excess deaths have been linked to the June heatwave across France, Belgium and the Netherlands, and health officials said the toll is still incomplete as more deaths are analyzed against normal baselines. France accounted for 2,025 of the fatalities, Belgium about 1,200, and the Netherlands roughly 480.

The deadliest impact fell on older adults and people whose deaths were recorded outside hospitals. Stephanie Rist, France’s health minister, said mortality among people over 45 rose sharply. Public Health France said deaths at home jumped 91 percent between June 22 and June 28 compared with the previous week, with higher deaths also recorded in nursing homes and medical facilities.

Belgian authorities said the country saw about 1,200 excess deaths between June 18 and June 29, a surge they described as unprecedented for a heatwave. In the Netherlands, the excess deaths were concentrated mainly among people over 80, underscoring how quickly extreme heat becomes deadly for the oldest residents, especially those with limited access to cooling, care or social support.

The heatwave lasted about June 20 to June 28, with temperatures in parts of Europe exceeding 40C, or 104F. It disrupted power generation, damaged infrastructure and overwhelmed health systems. Scientists said the extreme temperatures were almost certainly driven by climate change, a finding that adds urgency to warnings from weather services and United Nations agencies that Europe’s heat-health action plans are under strain as dangerous summers become more frequent.

The June event has been described as the worst recorded heatwave in Europe, and it recalled the August 2003 catastrophe that caused an estimated 80,000 excess deaths across the continent. For France, Belgium and the Netherlands, the latest toll shows that the most lethal effects of heat are often visible only after death records are sorted, matched and compared with what normal mortality should have been.