Over 10,000 'Excess Deaths' Reported; Drowning Deaths Rise as People Seek Relief in Water

Deaths caused by extreme heat are increasing across the globe.

Foreign media outlets, including Reuters, reported that more than 10,000 excess deaths occurred across 27 countries between June 22 and 28, when a heatwave swept across the European continent.

This figure means there were over 10,000 more deaths than the average for late June. While the specific cause of death for each individual has not been confirmed, it is highly suspected that these deaths were caused by the heatwave.

Of the 10,000 excess deaths, approximately 9,000 were among the elderly aged 65 and older.

Experts point to the record-breaking heatwave as the cause of the surge in the death toll.

Dr. Lasse Vestergaard of EuroMOMO, a mortality monitoring network supported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), noted, "It is very unusual to see such a high excess mortality rate during this period," adding, "It is difficult to explain this by any other reason than the extreme heat."

Furthermore, as more people jump into rivers or the sea to escape the heat, drowning accidents are also on the rise.

Germany reported that 99 people lost their lives to drowning last month alone, noting that most of the victims were young men.

This is the worst drowning figure in 23 years, since the record-breaking heatwave that hit Germany in 2003. In France, 131 people have died from drowning alone since June 19.

The United States is also suffering from unprecedented high temperatures. CBS News reported that as the heatwave hitting the western U.S. reached its peak last weekend, approximately 58 million residents were placed under heat alerts.

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Graphics by Lee Jung-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.