More than 10,000 excess deaths were recorded across 27 European countries during a record-breaking heatwave in late June, with older people accounting for the vast majority of the toll, according to official mortality data.
European countries recorded more than 10,000 excess deaths during the record-breaking heatwave that swept across western parts of the continent in late June, official data showed.
More than 9,000 of those deaths were among people aged 65 and over, according to EuroMOMO, a mortality monitoring network backed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization.
The figures cover all-cause excess mortality for the week of 22 to 28 June, when extreme heat peaked in France, Spain, Britain and several other countries. The network reported 10,650 excess deaths across 27 countries during that week.
Lasse Vestergaard, chief physician at Denmark's Statens Serum Institut, which hosts EuroMOMO, told Reuters the scale of excess mortality was unusual for that time of year and difficult to explain by anything other than the extreme heat.
Scientists say human-caused climate change is making heatwaves more frequent and more intense.
A separate study published on Monday estimated that 2,700 people died from heat-related causes in England and Wales during the May and June heatwaves, with 42% of those deaths attributed to the additional heat linked to global warming.
The late-June heatwave disrupted power supplies, forced schools to close and broke temperature records in France, Spain, Britain and other parts of Europe.
EuroMOMO said France and Belgium were the only European countries to record "very high excess" mortality in the final week of June, while Belgium's public health institute, Sciensano, said its excess mortality was the highest recorded during any heatwave since 2000.
Shares in artificial intelligence-related companies fell sharply across Asian markets on Monday, after some of the industry's most prominent ch...
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 14 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in the world of artificial intelligence (A...
U.S. Central Command said 101 commercial vessels have been redirected in the Strait of Hormuz, while oil prices rose more than three per cent&...
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Swedes vote in an election on Sunday (13 September) that could see the far-right enter government for the first time if the country's right-wing parties can form a majority.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.
The aftermath of Russia’s latest strikes on Ukraine over the weekend, including a drone attack on a train near the Ukraine-Poland border, continues to draw international reaction, as Kyiv reports damage to civilian and critical infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed back against growing calls for the artificial intelligence (AI) industry to slow down, arguing that maintaining America’s lead over China is more important.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 14 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in the world of artificial intelligence (AI).
Sweden’s centre-left opposition has taken a slim lead in a closely fought election that could reshape the country’s approach to migration and the far right.
When Iran moved to shut the Strait of Hormuz this year, sending Middle East energy markets into turmoil, China had already spent the best part of a decade getting ready for exactly this kind of shock.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment