This photograph shows a view of the Eiffel Tower and dried out grass on the Champ de Mars in Paris on July 15, 2026. [Photo/Agencies]
OSLO - Data from five European countries has indicated nearly 10,000 excess deaths due to heat this summer, the World Health Organization's Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) said Thursday, warning that extreme heat poses a growing health challenge and calling for better preparation from individuals and governments.
Describing Europe as the fastest-warming continent in a press release, with temperatures rising at around twice the global average rate, the agency said the deadly higher temperatures had also placed sudden pressure on essential services, including health and social care.
WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri P. Kluge said heat had claimed more than 200,000 lives across the region over the past four years, while heat-related mortality had risen by 30 percent over the past two decades.
"But heat deaths are not inevitable," Kluge said, calling for early warnings, cooler cities, more access to water and shade, support for vulnerable people and better-prepared health systems before temperatures peak.
