A prolonged heatwave sweeping across Europe has been linked to more than 1,300 excess deaths since 21 June.
Countries including France, Spain, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic have recorded unusually high temperatures, prompting health authorities to warn that the extreme weather poses a serious risk, particularly to older people and other vulnerable groups.
In a post on X, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said the excess deaths had been linked to the extreme heat affecting the continent.
“Heat stress is often called the ‘silent killer’ – and European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for these temperatures,” he wrote.
Mr Ghebreyesus urged governments to strengthen heat-health action plans as part of broader efforts to protect people from the growing health impacts of climate change.
Meteorologists have attributed the soaring temperatures to a “heat dome”, a weather phenomenon in which a high-pressure system traps hot air over a region. As the trapped air sinks, it compresses and becomes even hotter, resulting in prolonged periods of extreme heat.
Spain has recorded more than 200 heat-related deaths, according to a public health institute under the country’s health ministry. Most of the victims were aged 65 years and above.
France has emerged as one of the countries hardest hit by the heatwave. More than 50 million people have been placed under the country’s highest weather alert as authorities struggle to cope with soaring temperatures. (Premium Times)