Europe heatwave kills thousands, WHO warns of health emergency

Record‑breaking temperatures across Europe this summer have triggered a sharp rise in mortality. An AFP analysis of national data reported at least 12,000 excess deaths in nine countries during the peak week of the June heatwave, with EuroMOMO estimating a total of 14,260 excess deaths for that period. The United Kingdom added roughly 2,200 deaths, bringing the provisional European toll to over 14,000.

National agencies confirm similar trends. In Germany’s North‑Rhine Westphalia, daily deaths jumped from under 560 to 906 on 26 July 2019 during a heat alert, exceeding winter peaks. The WHO Regional Office for Europe said nearly 10,000 heat‑related deaths have occurred in five European nations this summer, and Spain’s health authorities reported more than 11,500 deaths linked to extreme heat in Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

The WHO’s Europe director, Hans Henri P. Kluge, called the situation a health emergency, warning that governments continue to treat heat as a mere weather event despite having tools to prevent many deaths. Weather models also forecast another extreme heatwave for Germany at the end of July and early August, with temperatures possibly reaching 39 °C, highlighting the risk of further mortality if protective measures are not taken.