Germany registered a record of around 14,000 heat-related deaths this summer as Europe struggled through a series of punishing heatwaves, official data showed on 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 1 June, figures showed on Thursday and French health authorities said they had seen more than 7,300 excess deaths over the same period.
In Germany, the largest share of heat-related deaths occurred in the over-75 age group, the public health authority said in a statement.
