7,300 excess deaths and counting as France battles historically hot summer

The country has endured a record 52 days of heatwaves since mid-June, a new analysis shows

France saw more than 7,300 excess deaths during heatwaves so far this year, health authorities said on Wednesday, as the country also endured a record number of hot days since mid-June, according to an Agence France-Presse analysis.

France has been hit by three summer heatwaves in quick succession: a 14-day spell in June, 16 days in July and another lasting 22 days that began in late July and has yet to be officially declared over as of Tuesday.

Together they mean the country – parts of which are ill-equipped to deal with heat, and where air-conditioning is scarce – has endured a record 52 days of heatwaves since mid-June, according to the Agence France-Presse analysis.

Sante Public France on Wednesday said it had recorded 1,243 more deaths than usual between July 2 and 22.

That added to the 5,764 excess deaths recorded from June 17 to 30, and 300 deaths identified so far during the year’s first period of high temperatures in late May, for a total of 7,307.

Nearly three-quarters of the extra deaths “concern people aged 75 and over”, though they affected “all age groups from 45 and over”, the health ministry said.

The deaths were due to all causes and could not yet be definitively attributed to the heat, the agency said. Final figures are expected in the autumn.