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France, Belgium and the Netherlands have recorded at least 3,700 excess deaths linked to the severe heatwave that swept across Europe in late June, with health authorities warning that the preliminary toll could rise further.
Experts have described the heatwave, which lasted from around 20 to 28 June, as one of the most severe ever recorded in Europe. The extreme temperatures disrupted power generation, damaged infrastructure and placed significant strain on healthcare systems across the region.
Scientists have said the event was almost certainly intensified by climate change.
France recorded 2,025 excess deaths during the heatwave period, with a particularly sharp increase among people aged over 45, French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist told local television on Friday (3 July).
According to France’s public health authority, deaths occurring at home surged by 91% between 22 and 28 June compared with the previous week. Deaths in nursing homes and healthcare facilities also rose significantly during the same period.
“Mortality will likely be higher than these initial figures suggest,” the public health authority said in a bulletin, warning that the final death toll could increase as more data become available.
In Belgium, the Health Ministry said on Thursday (2 July) that it had recorded around 1,200 excess deaths between 18 and 29 June.
Of those, approximately 530 were among people aged 85 and above, while around 180 deaths occurred among individuals under the age of 65.
“Such excess mortality during a heatwave is unprecedented in our country,” the ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, authorities in the Netherlands also reported a significant rise in excess deaths during the same period, contributing to the combined death toll of at least 3,700 across the three countries.
Public health officials across Europe have cautioned that the figures remain provisional and that the full human cost of the late-June heatwave may not be known for several weeks.