Europe heatwave linked to over 10,000 excess deaths in late June

London,UPDATED: Jul 17, 2026 15:32 IST

Europe's exceptionally early and intense heat this year appears to have caused a sharp rise in deaths, with emerging figures showing well over 10,000 more people died at the height of the heat wave than would normally be expected across the continent.

Researchers tracking what they call excess mortality, or the gap between the expected number of deaths and the actual number, recorded a spike in late June when several parts of Europe saw record temperatures. Experts said it will take time for the full toll to become clear, and many heat-related deaths may never be formally recorded as such.

They said, for example, that a heart attack triggered by extreme heat, especially in older people or those with underlying health issues, may simply be listed on a death certificate as a heart attack. The early summer toll has added to concern after several heat waves in Europe killed thousands of people in recent years. The deadliest year remains 2003, when about 70,000 people died. Heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense because of climate change caused by burning coal, oil and gas.

The EuroMOMO mortality monitoring hub, which receives data from two dozen countries, estimated 14,260 excess deaths from all causes in the week ending June 28. More than 12,000 of those deaths were among people aged 65 and older, out of a total of 84,583 deaths that week. Figures for the weeks before and after were far lower.

Lasse Vestergaard of Denmark's Statens Serum Institut, which coordinates EuroMOMO, said, "we attribute this to the heat wave affecting quite a lot of countries in Europe, and we do that because there is no other obvious explanation that could explain such a high excess mortality happening at the moment." He added that such a high excess in a single week is "highly unusual". EuroMOMO does not give absolute numbers for individual countries, but it found the highest rates of excess in France, Belgium and Germany.

Germany's disease control centre, the Robert Koch Institute, directly attributed 6,830 deaths to heat this year through early July, with 6,470 of them among people aged 65 and older. Temperatures in Germany late last month reached their highest levels since records began, peaking at 41.7 degrees Celsius on June 28, according to the German Weather Service.

In the United Kingdom, the Met Office said 2,700 people are believed to have died from heat-related causes during heat waves in England and Wales in May and June. Of those, about 550 deaths occurred in late May and about 2,200 in late June. This year also brought national heat records for May of 35.1 Celsius and for June of more than 37 Celsius.

France's public health authority said there were at least 2,000 more deaths in the week of June 22 to 28 than in the previous week, when temperatures were already rising. France recorded its hottest-ever days on June 24 and 25, when Meteo France said the national thermal indicator, an average of daily temperatures measured at 30 weather stations, reached 30 Celsius. More than 40 per cent of France saw peak temperatures above 40 Celsius.

In Spain, an estimated 937 deaths in June were attributed to excess heat, according to the Carlos III Health Institute. The AEMET weather agency said last month was Spain's second-hottest June on record, with temperatures 3.2 Celsius above the monthly normal average. It said a five-day heat wave saw temperatures regularly rise above 40 Celsius.

Belgium recorded 1,747 deaths above what would usually be expected during the heat wave from June 18 to July 1, according to public health institute Sciensano. It said: "a certain excess mortality is expected during heat waves, as during waves of cold weather and flu epidemics. Nevertheless, the heatwave of June 2026 is distinguished by its exceptional breadth." At the peak of the heat wave, the IRM weather institute recorded 35.5 Celsius on June 26.

In the Netherlands, an initial estimate of excess deaths from the June heat wave showed 480 more deaths than expected, according to the public health service. Increased mortality was particularly notable in eastern and southern areas, where temperatures were highest. The Dutch weather service recorded the country's highest temperature ever for June at 36.8 Celsius, more than 1 degree Celsius higher than the previous record set in 1947.

Overall, the latest figures from European monitoring bodies and national agencies point to a severe early-summer heat toll across the continent, with older people making up most of the deaths and the full impact still likely to emerge over time.

With PTI Inputs

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