Heat-related deaths in Germany near 10,000 this year

Nearly 10,000 people in Germany have died this year from causes linked to extreme heat, according to preliminary estimates from the country’s public health authority.

Data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), cited by dpa, put the number of heat-related deaths at around 9,800 as of July 19. The figure already exceeds the annual total recorded in any full year since 2016.

Germany has faced multiple waves of extreme heat this summer. A new national temperature record was set in late June, and meteorologists forecast that temperatures in some regions could reach 39 degrees Celsius again on Thursday, July 30.

By Tamilla Hasanova