Europe just went through one of its deadliest heatwaves on record and the numbers are starting to come in. France, Belgium and the Netherlands have together reported around3,700 excess deaths during the June heatwave that sent temperatures soaring across Europe. Officials are being transparent that this is just an early estimate, and the true number could increase once all the data is in.
The heatwave hit hard between roughly June 20 and 28, and experts have called it the worst heatwave Europe has ever recorded. It didn't just make people sick, but it also knocked out power in some areas, damaged infrastructure and pushed hospitals to their limits. Scientists are pointing the finger at climate change as the major cause of the extreme heat.
France got affected the most, with 2,025 excess deaths reported by country's health minister, Stephanie Rist.
Most of the victims were older, with a noticeable increase in deaths among people over 45. What's concerning is where people were dying, deaths at home shot up by 91% between June 22 and 28 compared to the week before, and nursing homes and hospitals also saw a spike. French health authorities have gone as far as to say the final death toll will likely end up being worse than what's currently being reported.
Belgium wasn't far behind. The country's health ministry logged 1,222 excess deaths bewteen June 18 and 29, with almost half of those being people aged 85 or older. To put that in perspective, that's a 39% jump in deaths above normal levels. Belgium officials called it something the country had simply never seen before during a heatwave. The heat was so intense that a planned historical re-enactment of the Battle of Waterloo had to b scrapped entirely.
The Netherlands saw a smaller but still serious impact, with about 480 excess deaths, mostly among people over 80.
To understand just how the widespread this heat event was, an AFP analysis found that around 410 million people across Europe, more than two-thirds of the continent, experienced temperatures above 35 degree celcius at least once during the June 15-30 time period. For comparison, the infamous 2003 European heatwave, which lasted 16 days, affected roughly 320 million people. This year's heat event covered even more ground.
The bigger picture here is grim. As heatwaves like this become more frequent and more intense due to climate change, elderly and vulnerable populations are paying the highest price, and health systems across Europe are being punished to adapt fast.