French government faces criticism as heatwave death toll rises

France's government is facing growing political criticism after an 11-day heatwave coincided with a sharp rise in deaths, prompting accusations that authorities failed to respond adequately to the crisis.

Health officials said on June 28 that around 1,000 more people had died than expected compared with previous months, Caliber.Az reports, citing French media.

"We must fully shed light on the looming, devastating human toll in order to determine political accountability," Marine Tondelier, leader of the French Greens, wrote on social media platform X.

"And some will have to face the consequences."

Clémence Guetté, a lawmaker from the France Unbowed party, also criticised the government's response, describing it as "a disaster" during an interview with France 3 television and accusing officials of a "lack of preparedness."

According to France's national public health agency, Santé publique France, about 1,000 excess deaths have been recorded since last Wednesday.

The agency said regions placed under the highest heat alert were the hardest hit, with people aged 65 and older accounting for 85% of the deaths.

The largest increase in fatalities occurred among people who died at home, particularly in the Île-de-France region, which includes Paris and its surrounding suburbs.

"This observation serves as a reminder of the need for measures of solidarity toward people who are isolated or experiencing profound loneliness, including in highly urbanised areas," the agency said.

Officials cautioned that the figures remain preliminary and may underestimate the true impact of the heatwave.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said emergency services had handled 122,000 incidents since June 18, a 20% increase compared with the same period last year.

Despite the surge in demand, he rejected criticism of the government's response.

"We were prepared, contrary to what some politicians are saying."

Health Minister Stéphanie Rist warned on Saturday that hospitals are likely to remain under pressure even after temperatures decline.

She said the effects of extreme heat on patients with chronic illnesses "can last for several weeks."

"But providing reliable figures takes time. Only 60 percent of death certificates are issued electronically. We have to wait for the paper certificates to come in," she said.

Rist added that the government would publish the mortality data "with full transparency" using the "most reliable figures possible".

She also confirmed that Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had approved the purchase of 30,000 air conditioners for hospitals.

"I have released €100 million to urgently finance cooling equipment," she said.

Temperatures eased in parts of France on Sunday after several days of extreme heat, during which thermometers exceeded 40C in many regions.

However, overnight storms caused fresh disruption. In the northern Aisne department, lightning triggered several fires, including one in the city of Laon that left five people with minor injuries.

Electricity distributor Enedis said around 63,000 customers, mainly in northern France, were left without power following the storms.

National weather service Météo-France said on Saturday that the latest heatwave—intensified by climate change caused largely by fossil fuel emissions—"surpasses the August 2003 event in terms of intensity and is equivalent in terms of duration."

The deadly 2003 heatwave claimed about 15,000 lives and exposed major shortcomings in the country's hospitals and nursing homes.

Critics have also pointed to substantial reductions in funding for France's Green Fund, with allocations falling from €2.5 billion in 2024 to €837.5 million in 2026.

Presidential hopeful Édouard Philippe argued that the Green Fund should be "doubled and refocused on adaptation and air-conditioning in public spaces," adding that "adapting to global warming will be one of (his) priorities."

World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described heat stress on X as a "silent killer" and urged European governments to "implement heat health action plans" to better protect public health from the growing effects of climate change.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov