French health officials recorded nearly 1,000 more deaths in less than a week as the country hit its worst heat wave in more than two decades.
Temperatures soared above 40C in many parts of France, with Tuesday marking the hottest day across the country since 2003.
About 1,000 additional deaths have been recorded since June 24, the National Public Health Agency said on Sunday, adding that 85% of the victims were aged 65 or older.
“This has highlighted the need to strengthen solidarity measures for people who are isolated or facing extreme loneliness, including those living in densely populated urban areas,” the organization said.
Deaths at home increased by 40%, especially in the Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris. Other regions most affected include Normandy, Brittany, Centre-Val de Loire, Pays de la Loire, and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Several events were canceled in Paris, including the annual Pride March, according to RFI. Officials said hospitals and funeral homes in the capital are overwhelmed, and other public services are also under strain.
Some politicians accused the government of being unprepared for the crisis, while left-wing MP Clemence Guette called the heat wave management. “disaster.”
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez dismissed the criticism. “No, I wouldn’t call it a fiasco,” he told Le Parisien on Saturday. “Every public service showed up because we were prepared, contrary to what some politicians claim.”
On Sunday, temperatures reached 41.7C in Germany and 41.1C in the Czech Republic.
“Heat stress is often called the ‘silent killer’ – and European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for this heat,” Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X.
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