Europe suffocates under record heatwave: over 200 dead, hospitals overwhelmed and events cancelled

Overview

A relentless heatwave is gripping much of Europe this Saturday, with thermometers soaring above 35°C for nearly 200 million people at some point during the day, according to AFP calculations. Red alerts remain in force in France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Hungary as the system drifts northeastward, while health authorities report a mounting death toll and emergency services buckle under the strain.

“It is possible that this heatwave is a phenomenon without precedent in its scale.”

Temperature records tumble

National and local records fell across the continent. Denmark reached 37°C, the highest reading since weather measurements began in 1874. The Czech Republic posted an all-time mark of 40.6°C, and Germany broke its own record twice in two days, peaking at 41.5°C on Saturday after 41.3°C the previous afternoon in Saarbrücken. Switzerland recorded its hottest June temperature ever (38.8°C in Basel), while the United Kingdom set a June high for the third consecutive day at 36.9°C. France’s Bas-Rhin department saw its first 40°C, and Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, endured a nighttime low of 26.3°C, surpassing a 2017 record.

“And it is entirely possible that this temperature will be reached again tomorrow, or even slightly exceeded.”

Death toll and health system overload

At least 200 people have died in Spain, and other fatalities are reported across Europe. In Paris, the emergency medical service (Samu) recorded 109 deaths on Friday alone. Emergency calls jumped 80% over the past week. The head of the emergency department at Georges-Pompidou Hospital described a situation that is “extremely serious,” with corridors full of elderly patients as well as people in their 50s and 60s presenting severe hyperthermia. French health officials expressed concern about “home deaths” as heat exposure took its toll.

“Hospitals are under exceptional and unprecedented saturation.”

“A few extra degrees translate into a very sharp increase in death risk, and heatwaves have cascading effects on mortality.”

Several tragic cases involved children left in parked vehicles: an 18-month-old died after being found hyperthermic at a Marseille hospital campus, two children aged 2 and 4 were discovered dead in a family car in Carpentras, and a three-year-old died after being found alone in another car.

Disruptions and cancellations

The heat forced the cancellation of major public events. Paris and Lyon called off their LGBT+ Pride marches, the Solidays music festival was scrapped (costing the organizing charity roughly €3 million in lost funds), and the Hamburg half-marathon was cancelled. Energy systems also felt the strain: Switzerland’s Beznau nuclear plant shut down to avoid excessively warming river water used for reactor cooling, and three French reactors followed suit, curbing electricity production. In Belgium, two Eurostar trains had to be evacuated because of heat-related technical faults.

Climate context

Repeated heatwaves are an unequivocal signature of climate change driven primarily by fossil fuel combustion, the World Meteorological Organization stressed. While it is still premature to declare this event the most extensive ever, the agency noted that its sheer scale stands out even against the backdrop of recent extreme summers.