Europe's early summer heatwave has been linked to more than 1,300 excess deaths, according to the head of the World Health Organization (WHO). The extreme heat has continued to move east, with temperature records being broken across the continent.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported on X, formerly Twitter, that over 1,300 excess deaths have been recorded since June 21 due to high temperatures in Europe. He described heat stress as a "silent killer" and noted that European homes, workplaces, and schools were not built to withstand such temperatures.
In France, the national health ministry reported approximately 1,000 more deaths than expected since Wednesday. The agency indicated that many of these fatalities were among individuals aged 65 and older, with a 40% increase in deaths occurring at home.
Tedros warned that Europe is the continent with the fastest warming rate on Earth, heating at double the global average. Millions of people across Europe are currently experiencing extreme heat, leading to hundreds of deaths, school closures, and strain on power grids.
Records were also broken in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic on Sunday as the heatwave intensified.
