Muscat: European countries recorded more than 10,000 excess deaths during the record-breaking heatwave that swept across the western part of the continent in late June, according to official European data.
According to Oman News Agency, the figures published by EuroMOMO-a network supported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization-indicate that the vast majority of these fatalities, over 9000, were among individuals aged 65 and above. Extreme heat can prove fatal by triggering heatstroke or exacerbating cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, with the elderly ranking among the most vulnerable groups.
Experts noted that the heatwave that gripped Europe in late June would likely have been "practically impossible" without human-induced climate change, which is making such extreme temperature events more frequent and more severe. The data, compiled from national mortality statistics across 27 European countries, reflect excess deaths from all causes-not solely those directly attributed to heat-during the week of 22-28 June, when the heatwave peaked across France, Spain, Britain, and other nations.
However, scientists confirmed that no other major contributing factors-such as a COVID-19 outbreak-were known to account for the sharp spike, which saw 10,650 excess deaths recorded that week.