More than 1,300 people have died across Europe over the past week due to an intense heatwave that began on June 20, the World Health Organization reported on Sunday.
The continent is the fastest‑warming region on Earth, with temperature increases double the global average. Europe currently endures what scientists have called the worst such event in regional history, with 150 million people exposed to extreme heat, schools closed, power grids stretched to capacity.
Furthermore, heat stress acts as a “silent killer” in homes, offices, and schools not built for high temperatures, according to WHO director‑general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
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France has recorded 1,000 additional deaths during this unprecedented episode, with the French public health agency stating that most of the deceased are elderly and warning that the toll will rise as data from nursing homes and private residences are consolidated.
Elsewhere, temperature records fell in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland, with some areas hitting 40°C on Sunday.
Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, heating at twice the global average. Right now 150 million people are living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling.
Driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the…
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 28, 2026
The heat has disrupted electricity generation, damaged infrastructure, and overwhelmed health systems. In Germany, rail services were cut in North Rhine‑Westphalia and trams suspended in Leipzig as residents stayed indoors, while storms in northern and central France left 36,000 households without power, according to utility Enedis.
The climate crisis has also affected rivers: Hungary’s Paks nuclear plant reduced output because the Danube, used for cooling, became too warm, and in Italy, the Po’s diminished flow allowed seawater to push 18 kilometers inland, threatening agriculture and delta wetlands.
Meanwhile, dozens of people have drowned seeking relief in water—in Italy, rescue teams are searching for the husband of Minister Eugenia Roccella, who went missing Saturday while swimming in Lake Vico, 70 kilometers from Rome.
Drownings have surged across Europe as people attempt to escape the heatwave, including in France, Germany and the UK. One of the reasons is due to the hidden dangers of open-water swimming.
Al Jazeera’s Linh Nguyen reports from London. pic.twitter.com/ISzVEU2Ooq
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 27, 2026
The French meteorological agency said extreme heat has subsided across most of the country but remains active in the northeast. Storms have brought cooler air to France, Germany, and the Czech Republic, with less warm weather forecast for Western Europe this week as the heat shifts toward Central Europe and the Balkans. French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist cautioned, however, that the episode’s effects are not over and could persist up to 10 days after the heat abates.
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.