Amman, Aug. 20 (Petra)– The death toll linked to heatwaves across
Europe continues to rise, with Germany recording around 14,000
heat-related deaths this summer and Spain reporting approximately
4,500 deaths between June 1 and August 19, according to health
authorities.

Germany’s heat-related death toll, recorded through August 9, far
exceeds the previous record of around 8,900 deaths reported in 2018,
according to estimates released Thursday by the Robert Koch
Institute, Germany’s public health agency.

People aged over 75 accounted for the largest share of heat-related
deaths, the institute said.

Of the estimated 14,000 deaths recorded in Germany this year, around
9,600 occurred during the week of June 22-28, when temperatures rose
sharply across the country. Temperatures exceeded 41 degrees Celsius
in some areas during that period, according to France 24.

In Spain, approximately 4,500 people died as a result of heatwaves
between June 1 and August 19, marking a record for the period and the
highest figure since 2022, according to data from Madrid’s Carlos III
Health Institute.

By comparison, heat-related deaths during the same period stood at
3,073 last year and 1,890 in 2024. A similar toll was recorded in
2022, when the number of heat-related deaths was estimated at around
4,520.

July 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded in Spain, one of the
European countries most affected by climate change. The country also
experienced unprecedented wildfires during the month, while July was
described by the national meteorological agency as the “driest month
since records began in 1961.”

//Petra// MF