The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Europe's unprecedented early summer heatwave may have contributed to hundreds of excess deaths as record-breaking temperatures continue to sweep across the continent, EDnews reports, citing BBC.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said more than 1,300 excess deaths linked to extreme heat have been recorded across Europe since June 21, describing heat stress as a "silent killer" because many homes, schools and workplaces were not designed to withstand such high temperatures.
France has been among the hardest-hit countries. The country's health ministry reported around 1,000 more deaths than expected since last week, with many of the fatalities involving people aged 65 and older. Officials also recorded a sharp increase in deaths occurring at home.
Temperature records continued to fall on Sunday, with Germany registering 41.7°C in eastern Brandenburg, its highest temperature on record. The Czech Republic reached 41.1°C at Doksany, while Poland also set a new national record of 40.5°C in the western town of Słubice.
Tedros said Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, warming at roughly twice the global average, and warned that climate change is making once-rare heatwaves an almost annual occurrence. He urged governments to strengthen heat-health action plans to better protect vulnerable populations.
Authorities across Europe have introduced emergency measures to reduce health risks. In the Netherlands, the Defqon.1 music festival was cancelled following a rare "code red" heat warning. Paris temporarily banned public consumption of takeaway alcohol and cancelled the city's Pride march to ease pressure on emergency services.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez also said at least 74 people have drowned since the heatwave began, with most incidents occurring in unsupervised rivers, lakes and ponds.
Meteorologists say the extreme temperatures have been driven by a powerful "heat dome," a weather pattern that traps hot air, suppresses cloud formation and intensifies heat at the surface.
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