France witnesses over 5,700 deaths during its June heatwave

Paris: France recorded at least 5,700 more deaths than usual during a historic heatwave last month, the public health agency said Wednesday, sharply increasing its estimates of the feared toll from record-shattering temperatures.

Public Health France said regions hit by the heat from June 17 to July 2 recorded 21,674 deaths from all causes.

But without a heatwave, those same regions would have been expected to have seen far fewer deaths, or 15,910, based on statistical modelling using data from previous years, it said.


The difference between expected and actual deaths - a total of 5,764 - are therefore considered to be "excess" deaths during the heatwave, it said.