Voice of Urdu - وائس آف اردو

Europe heatwave excess deaths top 10,000 in June — AI-generated representative image of an elderly person cooling off during an extreme heatwave in a European city.

Editorial Team

Europe recorded more than 10,000 excess deaths last month linked to an extreme heatwave, according to official mortality data cited by Voice of Urdu. The surge coincided with Western Europe’s hottest June on record, with temperatures topping 40°C in parts of Germany, France and Spain.

The figures highlight how extreme heat has become Europe’s deadliest weather-related hazard—and how its toll is often missed in routine reporting. Public health researchers rely on “excess mortality” (deaths above expected seasonal levels) to estimate the true impact of heatwaves, especially among older people and those with underlying medical conditions. Similar warnings have been raised elsewhere, including A historic heatwave is putting 130 million Americans at risk.

Key developments

EuroMOMO, a European mortality monitoring network, reported a jump to 10,650 excess deaths during the week of June 22–28, when the heatwave peaked across much of Western Europe.
EuroMOMO data showed more than 9,000 of those excess deaths occurred among people aged 65 and older.
Germany recorded a new national temperature high of 41.7°C after breaking records on three consecutive days.
France logged its hottest day ever, with temperatures reaching 43.8°C.
The prolonged heatwave fueled wildfires, disrupted transport and infrastructure, and was linked to an increase in heat-related illnesses and drowning deaths across the region.
Henri Kluge, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Europe, warned that countries should prepare for “more deadly weeks,” saying another heatwave was forming over the Atlantic. Related: WHO expresses confidence in a pandemic treaty

Context and background

Western Europe experienced its hottest June on record, with extreme temperatures reported across multiple countries including Germany, France and Spain. Scientists and public health agencies track excess mortality during heat events because many heat-related deaths are not formally recorded as being caused by high temperatures, even when heat worsens existing cardiovascular or respiratory disease.

EuroMOMO is backed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), and compiles mortality signals from national statistics to flag unusual patterns across Europe.

Details and evidence

Lasse Vestergaard, chief physician at Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut, which hosts EuroMOMO, said the scale of deaths was unusual for the time of year.

“To have this kind of excess at this time of year is unusual. It’s really high,” Vestergaard said. “It is difficult to explain this high excess mortality by anything but the extreme heat.”

Researchers cited by Voice of Urdu said there were no other known major factors—such as Covid-19 outbreaks—that could explain the increase reflected in the EuroMOMO estimate.

Separate estimates cited by Sky News put excess deaths in England and Wales at around 2,700 during May and June, based on assessments by Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

France, Belgium and the Netherlands recorded 3,700 excess deaths last month, according to figures reported by Voice of Urdu.

Health experts warn that extreme heat can be fatal through heat stroke or by exacerbating cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, with older adults among the most vulnerable.

Current status and next steps

The latest EuroMOMO figures cover the week of June 22–28, when the heatwave peaked, and point to a heavy impact on older adults across Europe. Authorities and health agencies are monitoring conditions as forecasters and international health officials warn another heatwave may develop—raising the risk of further excess deaths in the coming weeks.