France heat wave causes over 5,700 excess deaths

A severe heat wave across Europe in June–July 2026 led French public health officials to estimate 5,764 excess deaths nationwide, a 36 % rise over expected mortality. More than two‑thirds of the excess occurred among people aged 75 and older, with the Île‑de‑France region accounting for nearly 2,000 of the excess deaths. The Grand Est region alone reported 635 additional deaths, a 38.9 % increase, after a historic 40.4 °C temperature was recorded in Strasbourg on 26 June.

Spain also suffered extreme conditions, where a wildfire in the Guadalajara region burned about 32,000 hectares and forced 1,200 residents to flee. In France, two firefighters died in a vehicle accident in Gironde, and a blaze in the Var department burned 2,500 hectares, prompting the evacuation of 400 people.

In the United Kingdom, hundreds of schools in West England were forced to close as indoor temperatures surged, prompting experts to recommend passive cooling solutions such as improved insulation, external shading and urban tree planting.