Festival-goers gather as water is sprayed to cool off the crowd at the Francofolies music festival, in La Rochelle, western France on July 11, 2026 as a heatwave hit the country. Photo: Philippe Lopez / AFP / Lehtikuva
International news
More than 10,000 excess deaths were recorded across Europe during the final week of June after an early summer heatwave pushed temperatures to record levels across large parts of the continent, according to new mortality data and national health agencies.
The figures point to one of the deadliest early summer heat events recorded in Europe. Researchers said the rise in deaths matched the period when temperatures climbed above 40°C in several countries and reached national records in others.
EuroMOMO, the European mortality monitoring network supported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization, reported 10,650 excess deaths across 27 European countries during the week of 22 to 28 June. More than 9,000 of those deaths occurred among people aged 65 and over.
