Germany recorded an estimated 5,120 heat-related deaths so far this year. The majority of the deaths occurred during the intense weather in late June, according to the country’s public health agency.The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said in its latest weekly report that around 4,270 of the deaths were among people aged 75 and above. Women accounted for a higher share of the fatalities, largely because they make up a greater proportion of Germany’s oldest population.The figures come as Europe grapples with one of its most severe early summer heatwaves on record. The Copernicus Climate Change Service said Western Europe experienced its hottest June ever, with an average temperature of 20.74C.The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the heatwave has claimed hundreds of excess lives across the continent. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said more than 1,300 excess deaths had been linked to high temperatures since 21 June, describing heat stress as a “silent killer”.Several countries also recorded record-breaking temperatures during the heatwave. Germany reached 41.7C, while Poland and the Czech Republic also set new national temperature records. The WHO warned that Europe is warming at twice the global average, urging governments to strengthen heat-health action plans as extreme heat becomes increasingly frequent due to climate change.
