BERLIN — France recorded roughly 1,000 excess deaths last week during the peak of its record‑breaking heatwave, according to the nation’s public health agency. The WHO director warned that Europe is now the fastest‑warming continent and urged stronger protective measures for its population.
Temperatures shattered records across the region over the weekend, sparking wildfires in Germany and prompting Berlin police to deploy water cannons to cool down crowds.
The heat wave gradually advanced toward Eastern Europe.
Germany set a new high for the third consecutive day, with 41.7 °C (107 °F) measured in Neißemünde near the Polish border. Poland also reached an all‑time peak of 40.5 °C (104.9 °F). The Czech Republic recorded its hottest day ever at 41.9 °C (107.4 °F), surpassing Saturday’s previous record of 40.9 °C (105.6 °F).
A rapid assessment by World Weather Attribution, a Europe‑based scientific consortium, concluded that this week’s unprecedented heat and humidity in Europe would have been virtually impossible without climate change.
The analysis showed that such extreme heat would have been nearly unthinkable 50 years ago and is now 200 times more likely than it would have been two decades earlier.
France’s national public health agency reported a surge in deaths last week, notably in private homes and especially in the Paris region.
Public Health France recorded over 1,200 deaths on Wednesday, the hottest day, and more than 1,400 deaths on each of the next two days. By comparison, daily death rates in April and May, before the heatwave, hovered around 900–1,000.
The agency estimates that France suffered at least 1,000 excess deaths during those three days alone, noting that the figure is expected to rise as additional data, including home deaths, are compiled.
The surge was most severe in zones under red‑level extreme heat warnings, which covered roughly three‑quarters of the country at the peak. Eighty‑five percent of the fatalities were among people aged 65 and older.
“Europe is the fastest‑warming continent on Earth, heating at twice the global average,” WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, “Right now 150 million people are living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut and power grids are buckling.”
Driven by climate change and global warming, Tedros noted that such “once‑in‑a‑generation” heatwaves now occur almost annually, with more than 1,300 excess deaths across Europe recorded since June 21.
Tedros warned, “Heat stress is often called the ‘silent killer’—European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for these temperatures.” He urged nations to adopt comprehensive action plans emphasizing preparedness, prevention and stronger health‑system responses.
In Sweden, several individuals were injured after being struck by lightning at an amusement park, according to the TT news agency.
Three adults, including a woman with serious injuries, were hospitalized after a lightning strike hit Tosselilla Sommarland park in Tomelilla, southern Sweden.
Across Europe, the extreme heat has been followed by severe thunderstorms.
Denmark, which set new temperature records on Saturday, recorded 1,156 lightning strikes by Sunday morning, according to public broadcaster DR.
In Gohrischheide, eastern Germany, a forest fire erupted in an area still laced with World War II munitions, hampering firefighting operations.
A large firefighting effort was also underway in southwestern Germany near the village of Traisen, where heat‑ignited flames spread through a forest containing unexploded ordnance. After explosions halted operations, an ordnance‑disposal team was called in to monitor the site continuously. German news agency dpa reported that around 650 residents of Traisen were evacuated Sunday afternoon as the blaze continued to expand.
Fire departments across major cities were inundated with calls for heat‑related emergencies. Berlin alone reported an extra 500 ambulance dispatches on Saturday, the majority for heat‑induced illnesses.
Berlin police deployed two massive water cannons—normally used to control protestors—at the Brandenburg Gate, dousing the cheering crowd of locals and tourists to provide relief from the scorching heat.
The extreme heat also took a toll on infrastructure, cracking highway concrete surfaces and prompting German national railway operator Deutsche Bahn to advise travelers to avoid non‑essential train journeys over the weekend.
Over 600 passengers were evacuated from an overheated train in Brandenburg after a storm felled a tree onto an overhead power line Saturday evening. The Hamburg‑to‑Prague service lost power, disabling air conditioning; doors were locked until responders forced them open. Two travelers were hospitalized for heat‑related issues, dpa reported.
In Leipzig, tram operations were suspended until early Monday morning after extreme heat damaged tracks and switches. The city’s transportation authority explained that the high temperatures caused the joint sealant on asphalt and concrete to melt and clump, disrupting much of the network.
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Leicester reported from Paris. Associated Press writer Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this report.
