European heatwave causes 10,000 excess deaths, 2,700 in UK

A record‑breaking heatwave that swept Western Europe at the end of June 2026 led to an excess mortality of more than 10,000 deaths across 27 European countries, according to the EuroMOMO network supported by the ECDC and WHO. The surge, recorded for the week of 22‑28 June, was driven mostly by people over 65, with France and Belgium showing the highest excess mortality. Scientists said the extreme temperatures would have been “practically impossible” without human‑induced climate change and noted no other major factors such as COVID‑19 contributed.

In England and Wales, a separate study by Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine estimated that the May‑June heatwaves caused over 2,700 heat‑related deaths – about 550 in May and roughly 2,200 in June. Record temperatures of 35.1 °C in May and 37.7 °C in June made June the hottest on record for England. The analysis attributes about 42 % of these deaths to the additional 3‑4 °C of warming caused by climate change.

Health officials highlighted the vulnerability of older adults and the strain on health services. Lasse Vestergaard of Denmark’s Statens Serum Institute called the mortality rise “exceptionally high”, while Met Office scientist Mark McCarthy described the events as extreme for the UK and Western Europe. The findings underscore growing calls for stronger heat‑wave preparedness and climate‑adaptation measures.