The number of deaths in Germany during the end of last month, when a heatwave swept across Europe, was recorded to be one-third higher than usual.
According to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany on the 14th (local time), a total of 23,932 people died in Germany between June 22 and 28.
This figure is 5,753 (31.6%) higher than the average of 18,179 deaths recorded during the same period (the 26th week of the year) from 2022 to 2025.
Compared to the 16,811 deaths recorded two weeks prior, from June 8 to 14, the number increased by 7,121.
Previously, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's disease control agency, estimated that 4,120 deaths were related to the heatwave between June 22 and 28, based on its own statistical models including weekly average temperatures.
The European mortality monitoring network, euroMOMO, reported 10,650 excess deaths across 27 countries, including Germany, during the same period.
As the heatwave, which began in Western Europe including the United Kingdom, France, and Spain, moved eastward, Germany saw its annual record for the highest temperature broken for three consecutive days from June 26 to 28.
The new record high temperature, set on June 28, is 41.7°C (107°F).
Excess mortality is a figure that indicates how many more people died than the number of deaths expected based on average annual levels.
Experts believe that the heatwave caused the increase in deaths, as there were no other specific factors, such as infectious disease outbreaks, during the last week of June.
Hans Kluge, Regional Director for Europe at the World Health Organization (WHO), warned last month, "Over the last four years, more than 200,000 people have died from heatwaves in Europe alone, and most of these deaths were preventable." He added, "Heatwaves are no longer rare weather events. They are a recurring crisis that claims lives and collapses healthcare systems and infrastructure."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)