France records around 1,000 excess deaths during heatwave
Key takeaways
- The agency stressed that the figures were preliminary and were likely to be an underestimate.
- By: FRANCE 24 France's Health Minister Stephanie Rist walks amid camp bed as she visits an emergency shelter during the heatwave in Paris on June 26, 2026.
- "Since June 24, approximately 1,000 additional deaths (unconsolidated figures) have been observed compared to the deaths recorded in previous months," Public Health France said in a statement.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The Public Health France agency said Sunday that around 1,000 more deaths than expected occurred during a record-breaking heatwave that baked much of western Europe for days, adding that 85 percent of the casualties were people aged 65 and over. The agency stressed that the figures were preliminary and were likely to be an underestimate.
By: FRANCE 24 France's Health Minister Stephanie Rist walks amid camp bed as she visits an emergency shelter during the heatwave in Paris on June 26, 2026. © Ludovic Marin, AFP French health officials said Sunday there had been around 1,000 more deaths than expected during a record-breaking heatwave that has baked much of western Europe for days.
"Since June 24, approximately 1,000 additional deaths (unconsolidated figures) have been observed compared to the deaths recorded in previous months," Public Health France said in a statement.