France has recorded 1,000 excess deaths during the blistering heatwave sweeping Europe, the public health agency Sante Publique said on Sunday, warning that the true figure was likely to be higher. Most of the fatalities involved people aged 65 and older, though the health effects of the extreme heat affected all categories of the population, the agency said in a preliminary count. It expected the mortality rate to rise as more information became available about deaths in residential care and homes.
Heatwave Records and Impact
Europeans have been enduring blistering conditions during a heatwave that has shattered records, disrupted power generation, and damaged infrastructure. Scientists have said the heatwave, which began on June 20, was the worst recorded in Europe, where the climate is changing faster than the global average.
Extreme Heat Eases in France
The heatwave has been moving east. While France's weather agency said the extreme heat had diminished in most parts of the country, some areas in the northeast were still under a heatwave advisory. Health Minister Stephanie Rist told La Tribune newspaper that the impact of the heatwave could linger for as long as 10 days after the weather had ebbed. "The episode is not finished," she told broadcaster BFM.
