A record heatwave that swept across the western part of the continent at the end of June has left more than 10,000 excess victims, according to official figures.
The EuroMOMO network, operating under the auspices of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), reports that over 9,000 of these people were aged 65 and over.
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Experts warn that extreme temperatures can cause heat collapse or worsen heart and respiratory conditions, leaving the elderly at maximum risk. Lasse Vestergaard, chief physician at Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut, who heads the EuroMOMO network, told Reuters that recording such a high number of deaths at this time of year is rare and can hardly be attributed to any other cause than the extreme heat.
Researchers estimate that the late June heatwave would have been ‘almost impossible’ without human-caused climate change. The current heatwave is expected to persist in many European regions, until around 19-20 July 2026 when temperatures will drop and storm risks will appear.
Until then, the entire old continent will continue to suffer from extreme daytime temperatures and so-called ‘tropical nights’, when the thermometer does not drop below the 20-degree Celsius threshold.
