The number of deaths from the scorching heat wave that ravaged Western Europe until early last week continues to rise. On Friday (3/7), Belgium released the number of deaths due to high temperatures, and France updated its numbers upwards. This is in light of the expectation that a new heat wave will hit the region this week.
France and Belgium estimate more than 3,000 deaths due to extreme heat
The number of deaths from the scorching heat wave that ravaged Western Europe until early last week continues to rise. On Friday (3/7), Belgium released the number of deaths due to high temperatures, and France updated...
Belgium recorded 39% more deaths than expected between June 18 and 29 due to extreme temperatures. Provisional data from the country's Ministry of Health showed that there were 1,222 additional deaths in the period, and more than half of these people were aged 85 or over, Euronews reports. “This level of excess mortality during a heat wave is unprecedented in our country,” the ministry said in a statement.
In France, the number of recorded deaths rose by almost 30% in the hottest week of the record heatwave, according to the Guardian. And the expectation is that the number of fatalities will grow even more, as the French authorities initially counted just over 1,000 deaths.
Public Health France reported on Friday that there were 2,025 additional deaths compared to the week before the extreme heat. And he stressed that the number is probably underestimated.
In Spain, official data released on Wednesday (1/7) showed that the country recorded 1,029 deaths attributable to heat last month. It was the second hottest June ever recorded in Spanish territory. At that point it had already been the highest number of heat deaths since the same month of 2015. And more than double the 407 heat deaths in June 2025 – the hottest June in Spain since records began to be kept in 1961.
The unprecedented heat wave caused around 480 additional deaths in the Netherlands, Dutch health authorities reported on Thursday (2/7). The excess deaths in the week of June 22 to 28 occurred mainly among people aged 80 and over. The Netherlands broke a temperature record for the month of June. Thermometers reached almost 40oC.
The update on the number of deaths from the heat wave in Western Europe was also reported by Folha, Reuters, Euractiv, Wion and Politico.
Source: ClimaInfo
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