Politico: Western Europe's deadly heatwave claimed at least 14,000 lives

Last month's record-breaking heatwave killed thousands across Western Europe, with preliminary official mortality figures and researchers' estimates from the six worst-affected countries suggesting that at least 14,000 excess deaths occurred during the period of extreme temperatures, Politico reports.

The report described it as one of the deadliest climate-related disasters in the continent's recent history.

The heatwave, which lasted from around June 18 to July 1, shattered temperature records across several countries. Scientists concluded that such extraordinary conditions would have been virtually impossible without human-driven climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

The figures reviewed by POLITICO include approximately 6,800 excess deaths in Germany, around 2,200 estimated heat-related fatalities in the United Kingdom, 2,000 in France, 1,740 in Belgium, 810 directly linked to heat in Spain and 480 in the Netherlands.

Separate data released on July 14 by EuroMOMO, a mortality monitoring network supported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organisation, recorded 10,650 excess deaths across its 27 participating countries between June 22 and June 28. The organisation noted that the figures could still change as additional data becomes available.

Excess mortality measures deaths above expected levels and is commonly used to assess the impact of heatwaves, since high temperatures often worsen existing health conditions rather than causing heatstroke alone.

Although EuroMOMO does not publish country-by-country data, it noted that France and Belgium experienced particularly high excess mortality during late June.

In France, where temperatures climbed above 40 degrees Celsius, public health authorities reported 2,025 excess deaths between June 22 and June 28, a 29% increase compared with the previous week. Most of the additional deaths occurred among people aged 45 and older.

The Île-de-France region, including Paris, recorded 619 excess deaths during the same period, representing a 62.8% rise in mortality. Officials warned that the figure may still underestimate the true impact.

Belgium's Sciensano public health institute reported 1,747 excess deaths between June 18 and July 1, with the Wallonia region suffering the greatest losses at 919 additional deaths, equivalent to a 76% increase.

While older people remain the most vulnerable during periods of extreme heat, Belgian authorities noted that 280 of the excess deaths involved people under the age of 65. The institute described the event as the country's deadliest heatwave since records began in 2000.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov