Over 1,300 people die in Europe amid extreme heat, WHO says
Ulviyya Poladova
Read moreMore than 1,300 people have died across Europe in just one week as a result of extreme heat, AzerNEWS reports.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that around 150 million people in Europe are currently living under conditions of extreme heat. He warned that many homes, workplaces, and schools across the continent were not designed to withstand such high temperatures.
"Heat stress is often called the 'silent killer' – and European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for these temperatures," he wrote on social media X.
At least 191 million people are forecast to endure temperatures of at least 35 °C on Sunday in Europe, with the heat particularly intense in Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
On Sunday morning, French health officials said there had been around 1,000 more deaths than expected in that country just since Wednesday.
"Driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the 'once-in-a-generation' heatwave is now occurring nearly annual," Ghebreyesus stressed.
Climate change is driving up temperatures around the world - but particularly in Europe. It is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service.
Image: Sylvie Husson / AFP
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