A severe heatwave that has gripped Europe since June 20 has killed more than 1,300 people, shattered temperature records and triggered widespread disruption across the continent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In a post on X, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said more than 1,300 excess deaths had been recorded since 21 June "linked to high temperatures in Europe".
"Heat stress is often called the 'silent killer' - and European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for these temperatures," he said.
France has been among the hardest hit, with health authorities estimating at least 1,000 excess deaths over three days as temperatures soared. Spain has linked more than 400 deaths to the heatwave, while Germany has reported several fatalities, including drowning incidents as residents sought relief from the extreme temperatures.
Germany: Recorded a new national temperature record of 41.7°C in Neißemünde.
Poland: Registered 40.5°C, breaking a national record that had stood since 1921.
United Kingdom: Experienced its hottest June day on record, with temperatures reaching 37.3°C in Suffolk.
France: Recorded some of its hottest days ever, with Paris experiencing more days above 40°C last week than during the entire period from 1872 to 2019.
The extreme heat has also sparked wildfires, damaged transport infrastructure and caused power outages. In France, around 63,000 households were left without electricity following storms that swept through parts of the country after the heatwave.
The WHO said Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent and warned that homes, schools and healthcare systems are ill-equipped to cope with increasingly frequent extreme heat events. Scientists have linked the heatwave to an "omega block" weather pattern, adding that climate change has made such events far more likely.
Governments across Europe have imposed water restrictions, closed schools and issued health alerts as emergency services struggle to cope with the crisis.
