Europe is battling one of its deadliest heatwaves in recent years, with more than 1,300 excess deaths recorded since June 21 as soaring temperatures continue to grip the continent. Temperatures touched 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Europe on Sunday even as thunderstorms swept across other regions. The scorching conditions have killed around 1,000 people in France, sparked wildfires across Germany, damaged roads and railway networks, and pushed emergency services to their limits, prompting fresh warnings.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Europe is now the fastest-warming continent in the world, with around 150 million people currently living under extreme heat conditions.
The latest toll comes as France reported around 1,000 excess deaths during just three days of intense heat, while Germany registered its hottest day and warmest night on record. Greece remains on high wildfire alert, Sweden has reported lightning-related injuries and Denmark has been battered by severe thunderstorms after days of record temperatures.
Tedros said Europe is heating at twice the global average, making deadly heatwaves more frequent and more dangerous. "Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, heating at twice the global average. Right now 150 million people are living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling," he wrote on X.
He warned that heatwaves once considered rare are becoming a regular occurrence. "Driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the 'once-in-a-generation' heatwave is now occurring nearly annually. We were warned."
Tedros said more than 1,300 excess deaths linked to high temperatures have been recorded across Europe since June 21. He also described heat stress as a "silent killer", warning that many homes, schools and workplaces across Europe were never designed to cope with prolonged extreme heat.
The WHO chief said the agency is working with governments to strengthen health systems and preparedness. He urged countries to adopt heat health action plans to reduce the growing health risks linked to climate change.
France was among the countries hit hardest by the latest heatwave. Public Health France said daily deaths rose sharply during the hottest period of the week. The number climbed from the usual 900 to 1,000 deaths recorded in April and May to more than 1,200 on Wednesday, before rising above 1,400 on both Thursday and Friday.
The agency estimated that at least 1,000 additional people died during those three days alone. It cautioned that the figure could increase as more reports, including deaths at private homes, are received. Most of the heat-related fatalities involved elderly people.
About 85 per cent of those who died were aged 65 or older. The largest increase occurred in regions placed under the highest red alert, which covered nearly three-quarters of the country at the peak of the heatwave.
Germany also experienced unprecedented temperatures over the weekend. The German Weather Service recorded a new daytime high of 41.5 degrees Celsius in Mckern-Drewitz and a record nighttime temperature of 29.4 degrees Celsius in Kubschtz. Both records surpassed temperatures set just a day earlier.
The extreme heat overwhelmed emergency services. Berlin reported around 500 additional ambulance callouts on Saturday, most linked to heat-related illnesses.
Police in the German capital even deployed water cannons near the Brandenburg Gate to spray cooling water over residents and tourists gathered in the city centre.
The soaring temperatures triggered major forest fires across Germany. One large blaze broke out in Gohrischheide, where firefighters faced additional risks because the forest still contains unexploded World War II ammunition.
Another wildfire near Traisen forced emergency crews to temporarily halt operations after old ammunition exploded in the burning forest. Bomb disposal experts were called in before firefighting resumed.
The heat also damaged roads and rail infrastructure. Concrete road surfaces buckled on several highways, while rail operator Deutsche Bahn advised passengers to avoid unnecessary travel.
More than 600 passengers were evacuated from a train travelling from Hamburg to Prague after a storm brought down overhead power lines, cutting electricity and disabling the air conditioning. Two people were taken to hospital with heat-related illnesses.
In Leipzig, tram services were suspended after high temperatures damaged tracks and switches.
The prolonged heatwave has also affected Europe's rivers, disrupting power generation and raising concerns for agriculture. Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant again reduced output because the Danube River, which is used for cooling, became too warm. In Italy, the flow of the Po River has fallen sharply, allowing seawater to advance nearly 18 kilometres inland and threatening agriculture as well as protected wetlands in the river delta.
Authorities across Europe have also reported dozens of drowning deaths as people sought relief from the extreme heat by swimming in rivers, lakes and the sea.
The heatwave has also been followed by severe weather across several countries. In southern Sweden, lightning struck the Tosselilla Sommarland amusement park, injuring several people. Three adults were taken to hospital, including a woman with serious injuries.
Denmark experienced heavy thunderstorms after recording new temperature highs over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Greece remains on alert after authorities warned of a "very high fire risk" across five regions as hot and dry conditions continue.
France's weather agency said the worst of the heat had eased across most parts of the country after thunderstorms brought cooler air, although some northeastern regions remained under heat alerts. Health Minister Stephanie Rist warned that the health impact of the heatwave could continue for up to 10 days after temperatures subside, saying, "The episode is not finished."
The storms also left around 36,000 households in northern and central France without electricity, according to power utility Enedis.
According to Associated Press, scientists say the record-breaking temperatures are a direct consequence of climate change.
A rapid analysis by the World Weather Attribution, a group of European climate scientists, concluded that last week's heatwave would have been virtually impossible without human-driven climate change.
The researchers said the exceptionally high night-time temperatures recorded during the heatwave were around 100 times more likely than they would have been just two decades ago because of human-caused climate change.
