By Ebi Kesiena
Germany recorded about 14,000 heat-related deaths this summer as the country endured a series of severe heatwaves, according to data released by the Robert Koch Institute on Thursday.
The figure surpasses the previous record of about 8,900 heat-related deaths recorded in 2018, highlighting the growing health risks associated with extreme temperatures across Europe.
The public health institute said approximately 9,600 of the estimated deaths occurred during a single week in late June, when temperatures across Germany exceeded 40°C.
People aged 75 and above accounted for the largest proportion of heat-related deaths, the institute stated, highlighting the particular vulnerability of older people during periods of extreme heat.
The Robert Koch Institute explained that heat can cause death either directly, as in cases of heatstroke, or indirectly by worsening existing health conditions.
“In some cases, such as heatstroke exposure to heat leads directly to death, whereas in most instances, death results from a combination of heat exposure and pre-existing medical conditions,” the institute said.
It added that heat is often not recorded as the underlying cause of death on official death certificates, making it necessary to use statistical methods to estimate the number of fatalities linked to extreme temperatures.
