5,120 Die in Germany Due to Extreme Heat
People enjoy water sprayed from a police water cannon during the ongoing heatwave in Berlin. Photo: Reuters
An estimated 5,120 people have died from heatwave-related causes in Germany so far this year, the country’s public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said in its weekly report published Thursday.
According to the report, most of the deaths occurred in late June, when the average weekly temperature was well above 20 degrees Celsius.
The RKI said that about 4,270 of the total deaths were among people aged 75 or older. It also said more women than men died because women make up a larger share of the very elderly population.
The data from Germany further highlights the severity of the heatwave across Europe.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service said Thursday that this June was the warmest on record in Western Europe. During the month, the region’s average temperature stood at 20.74 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, national authorities in France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands said that more than 4,700 excess deaths occurred in those countries during the heatwave between June 20 and June 28.
According to RKI data, the highest number of heatwave-related deaths in Germany over the past decade occurred in 2018 and 2019, when 8,400 and 6,900 people died respectively.
Source: Reuters ( Adapted)
