The early summer heatwave that affected 60 French departments between 19 June and 6 July led to a record 480 excess deaths, a rise of 5.5 percent compared to normal mortality levels, the country's public health agency has announced.
People aged 75 and over accounted for almost all the excess deaths during the heatwave – 410 of those recorded in the affected areas, Public Health France said.
It added that the "notably long and unusually early heatwave" had impacted nearly three-quarters of the population.
This initial count will later be supplemented by an estimate of deaths specifically attributable to heat, to be included in a broader report due after 15 September, the agency noted.
The calculation of excess mortality is based on all-cause death data collected from civil registry offices and transmitted by France's national statistics bureau Insee, compared with the expected number of deaths based on figures from the previous six years.
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The region with the highest number of excess deaths was Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA), which covers the south east of the country. It saw at least 140 additional fatalities (representing a rise of 9.2 percent).
Public Health France published a map of excess deaths by department but cautioned during a press briefing that a significant percentage increase in areas with small populations – and thus small absolute numbers – may not always be statistically meaningful.
Three regions – Corsica, Hauts-de-France in the north of the country and Île-de-France, the region surrounding Paris – recorded no excess deaths during the heatwave period.
The agency said that the figures underscore "the importance of implementing preventative measures to reduce the impact of heat, not only during heatwaves but throughout the summer". It stressed “the need for a reinforced climate adaptation strategy at both national and local levels”.
The agency also added that, according to its 2014-2023 data, 70 percent of heat-related deaths during the summer occurred outside officially declared heatwave days.
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(with AFP)
