Killer heatwave ‘will see 25,000 die in per week’ – together with tons of of Brits
Experts have estimated the amount of people who lost their lives in the recent heatwave to boil Europe will reach highs of 25,000 fatalities with France to have the highest death toll
A new study has estimated between 17,000 and 25,000 people could have died in Europe from the recent heatwave(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
The recent heatwave to scorch Europe could kil between 17,000 and 25,000 people, according to estimates.
Researchers have claimed the boiling weather June saw could have claimed more than 800 lives in the UK alone, as official death figures across Europe are still to be collected and analysed. Christopher Callahan, a climate scientist who focuses on the economic and social impacts of climate change, has pulled back the lid on the fatal effects of the weather.
In a new study the boffin at Indiana University stated the suspected death toll was an estimate based on a study his team published last year. Climate scientist Callahan stated: “We’re taking data on temperature and mortality across Europe, and we are correlating how high temperatures relate to excess mortality rates.”
He added: “We then use that relationship to infer how a given heatwave affects mortality over a region like Europe.”
The study concluded the heatwave which hit Europe from 22 to 28 June 2026 claimed the lives of approximately 20,390 people. The prediction lists 5210 fatalities in France, 4543 in Germany, 3163 in Spain, 2709 in Germany and 862 in the UK.
The figures are far higher in comparison to direct death counts released so far. However this is suspected since it takes time for information surrounding the deaths from the heatwave to be gathered and analysed.
Raquel Nunes, an Associate Professor in Health and Environment specialising in climate-related health risks at the University of Warwick, has said a final death toll will take months to be finalised. Callahan’s claim that more than 20,000 people perished across Europe has been criticised by other academics .
Dann Mitchell, Professor of Climate Science at the University of Bristol, has stated: “Twenty-thousand for a single week seems very large. We’d have to look into details of the modelling to be more sure.”
Despite the scepticism Callahan has stated he believes the relationship between the heat and mortality hasn’t really shifted over time.
The climate change boffin stated: “We don’t have very strong evidence that the relationship between temperature and mortality dramatically changed over time.” The climate scientist added: “So it’s not obvious it’s different now than it was 10 years ago.”
“In general, we find that our sort of broader statistical estimates give higher numbers than direct reporting on the ground, because that direct reporting can often miss people who die from heat where it’s not obvious that heat was the cause.”
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