France records 1,000 excess deaths during heatwave

France has recorded 1,000 excess deaths during the blistering heatwave sweeping Europe, the public health agency said on Sunday, warning that the true figure was likely to be higher. Detailing its preliminary count of excess deaths, Sante Publique said most of the fatalities involved older people and 85 percent of the deaths had been those aged 65 and over. It expected the mortality rate to rise as more information became available about deaths in residential care and homes.
France’s weather agency said the extreme heat had diminished in most parts of the country, some areas in the northeast were still under a heatwave advisory. Health Minister Stephanie Rist told La Tribune newspaper that the impact of the heatwave could linger for as long as 10 days after the weather had ebbed.The heat eased across France on Sunday after days of punishing temperatures that saw the mercury rising above 40°C in many areas
Europeans have been enduring blistering conditions during a heatwave that has been linked to dozens of deaths – shattering records, disrupting power generation and damaging infrastructure. Scientists have said the heatwave, which began on June 20, was ‌the worst recorded in Europe, where the climate is changing faster than the global average.