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Europe heatwave: More than 1,300 excess deaths recorded, says WHO

Scroll | June 29, 2026 12:40 PM CST

More than 1,300 excess deaths have been recorded in Europe since June 21 because of high temperatures, the World Health Organization said on Sunday.

Of these, about 1,000 additional deaths were recorded in France, AP quoted the country’s public health agency as saying on Sunday. Eighty-five percent of the deaths were of persons above age 65, the health agency said.

On Sunday, Germany recorded a record high temperature of 41.7 degrees Celsius, AFP reported. The previous record of 41.5 degrees Celsius was set a day earlier.

The neighbouring Czech Republic also set its record high temperature of 41.9 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the news agency reported.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the ‘once-in-a-generation’ heatwave” was now occurring nearly annually. “We were warned,” he said on social media.

Ghebreyesus said that heat stress was a “silent killer” because European homes, workplaces and schools are not built for the high temperatures.

The global health organisation is working with its member states and partners to address the health threats posed by extreme heat through preparedness, prevention and stronger health system responses, he said.

Ghebreyesus said that the World Health Organization was encouraging European countries to implement heat health action plans, as part of the broader agenda...