A boy enjoys a jet fountain in front of the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum in Bilbao, Basque Country, northern Spain, on 23 June 2026. World Health Organization Director-General said Sunday that the heatwave has been linked to more than 1,300 deaths across Europe since June 21. Photo by Miguel Tona/EPA
June 29 (UPI) -- Extreme heat that has been baking Europe over the last two weeks is at least partially responsible for hundreds of additional deaths, according to the United Nations' health chief.
The continent has been gripped by a heatwave that has sent temperatures soaring from the high 90s to low 100s Fahrenheit since at least June 17, when Britain's Met Office warned that a significant heatwave was developing across parts of Europe.
Since then, a number of European nations, including Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, have set heat records, prompting officials to cancel outdoor events as well as issue warnings about dangerous temperatures.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Sunday in a statement that the high temperatures have been linked to more than 1,300 excess deaths reported across Europe since June 21.
