France records 1,000 excess deaths as Historic Heatwave Sweeps Europe, health agency warns death toll could rise

France has recorded 1,000 excess deaths during the blistering heatwave sweeping Europe, the public health agency Sante Publique announced on Sunday, warning that the true figure was likely to be higher as more information becomes available.

France has recorded 1,000 excess deaths during the blistering heatwave sweeping Europe, the public health agency Sante Publique announced on Sunday, warning that the true figure was likely to be higher as more information becomes available. Detailing its preliminary count, the agency said most fatalities involved people aged 65 and older, though the health effects of the extreme heat affected all categories of the population. Health Minister Stephanie Rist told La Tribune newspaper that the impact could linger for as long as 10 days after the weather had ebbed, cautioning that “the episode is not finished.”

The heatwave, which began on June 20, has shattered records across Europe, disrupted power generation, and damaged infrastructure. Scientists have described it as the worst ever recorded in Europe, where the climate is changing faster than the global average. In France, scorching temperatures have broken records for consecutive days, with the average minimum temperature reaching 22°C overnight and cities like Nantes seeing 27.2°C. The ambulance service in Paris reported four times more cardiac arrests than normal over a 24-hour period, and Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire confirmed the mortality rate was on the rise in the capital.

The health agency’s warning comes as Europeans have been enduring blistering conditions that have also claimed lives in Spain, Italy, and other countries. In Italy, Florence’s Uffizi museum halted ticket sales because its air conditioning system could not cope with extreme temperatures, which reached 32°C inside the museum. In Spain, authorities reported heightened pressure on emergency services as the heatwave pushed temperatures above 40°C in several regions.

Sante Publique expects the mortality rate to rise as more information becomes available about deaths in residential care and homes, underscoring the vulnerability of the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. The heatwave has also drawn attention to the broader impacts of the climate crisis, with United Nations climate change chief Simon Steill warning that “Europe’s savage heatwave has the fingerprints of the climate crisis all over it.” The World Weather Attribution group has said the heatwave was made at least 100 times more likely by climate change. As temperatures begin to ease, the full human cost of the heatwave is only beginning to emerge.