Paris, July 23 (SANA) France recorded 5,764 excess deaths between June 17 and July 2 during a period of intense heatwaves, the country’s national public health agency said.
The agency said the figure represented a 36% increase in mortality during the period, adding that the rise was the highest recorded since France’s deadly 2003 heatwave.
The early and prolonged heatwave affected nearly the entire country, reaching 92 departments, according to the agency.
It said the increase in deaths, which has not yet been conclusively linked to extreme heat, was observed across different age groups starting from the age of 15 — a pattern it described as unprecedented.
The agency said last year’s figures showed that 5,700 deaths were attributed to extreme heat during the summer of 2025.
T.S /ABD
