France records 5,764 excess deaths during June-July heatwaves, health agency reports
Preliminary data show deaths rose nearly 65% in Paris and almost 50% in Centre-Val de Loire as hospitals and care homes strained.
- On Wednesday, French health authorities reported 5,764 excess deaths during a record-breaking June heatwave, the highest toll since the deadly 2003 heatwave that killed nearly 15,000.
- France experienced its hottest June since records began in 1947, with temperatures spiking above 40°C in many places across the country during the heatwave.
- Data shows two-thirds of fatalities involved individuals aged 75 or older, while half of all deaths occurred in just three days from June 25 to 27, representing 36% excess mortality.
- Funeral director Gautier Caton rented five refrigerated containers to store bodies at his Orleans funeral homes, which also accepted four bodies from overstretched firms in Paris.
- Former public-health agency head Francois Bourdillon warned France must adopt a multi-year strategy "to transform the country to deal with heat epidemics," citing neglected vulnerabilities in hospitals and care homes.
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France marks 5,700 excess deaths during June heat wave
French health officials estimate that the country’s historic June heat wave contributed to more than 5,700 excess deaths, according to preliminary research released Wednesday. The heat wave, which gripped much of France from June 17 to July 2, coincided with 21,674 deaths from all causes in the affected regions, compared with an estimated 15,910 deaths...
France recorded 5,764 more deaths than usual during the June heat wave, the country's national public health agency said, citing preliminary estimates. In no case has the authorities yet clearly linked the deaths to the heat. Most of the victims were aged 75 or over.
With 5764 deaths recorded the episode of extreme heats from 17 June to 2 July led to an overmortality in France never seen since 2003.
Half of the excess deaths were concentrated in just three days. The Paris region, where mortality doubled, was the most affected.
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