Robert Koch Institute says most victims were elderly, as Western Europe records its hottest June ever and countries across the continent confront the mounting health toll of extreme heat

Preliminary data showed 5,486 excess deaths in the last full week of June, Robert Koch Institute expected to release its estimate of heat-related deaths later this week.

Germany recorded an estimated 5,120 heat-related deaths so far this year. The majority of the deaths occurred during the intense weather in late June, according to the country's…