Former health minister Karl Lauterbach says the record-breaking figure is probably an underestimate.
Germany registered around 14,000 heat-related deaths this summer as Europe struggled through a series of punishing heatwaves, worse than a previous record high in 2018, official data showed Thursday.
Around 9,600 of those deaths were recorded in one week in late June when Germany baked in temperatures of over 40C, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
The heatwaves and drought have fuelled a historically hot summer in Europe, contributing to a spike in heat-related mortality in the worst-hit countries.
Spain's public health institute registered nearly 4,500 heat-related deaths since June 1st, figures showed Thursday. French health authorities said they had seen more than 7,300 excess deaths over the same period.
