WHO: At least 15 000 people have died in Europe this year due to the heat

Author:
Anna Kholodnova
Date:

At least 15 000 people in Europe have died this year due to high temperatures.

This was reported by the European Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The heat killed 4 000 people in Spain and more than 1 000 in Portugal. In Germany, nearly 4 500 people died from heatstroke over three months of summer, and more than 3 200 in the UK. The WHO expects these numbers to rise.

Between 1961 and 2021, temperatures in Europe increased at an average rate of about 0.5 °C per decade. According to a report by the World Meteorological Organization, this region is warming the fastest on Earth.

Over the past 50 years, extreme temperatures have caused more than 148 000 deaths in Europe.