Paris, Sept 4 (SANA) France recorded around 7,000 excess deaths during a series of severe heatwaves this summer, Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said Friday, as extreme temperatures and wildfires swept across the country.
Rist said the figure covered the period through late July and that final data would be released in the coming weeks.
France’s public health agency estimated 5,764 excess deaths between June 17 and July 2 alone, more than 36% above expected levels, according to Reuters.
France experienced three heatwaves over the summer. One brought record temperatures in late June, while another stretching from late July into August lasted 23 days, matching the record for the country’s longest heatwave, set in 1983.
The extreme conditions also fueled major wildfires, with the area burned reaching six times the average recorded over the past two decades.
kA/ABD
