Deaths surge 29% in France during record June heatwave, over 2,000 excess fatalities reported

France recorded more than 2,000 excess deaths during the country's record-breaking heatwave in late June, with health authorities reporting a sharp rise in fatalities as extreme temperatures swept across the country.

In updated but still provisional figures released on Friday, Public Health France said it had registered 8,973 deaths during the week of June 22-28, compared with 6,948 deaths in the preceding week, amounting to an increase of 2,025 deaths, or about 29%.

The latest assessment is more than double the agency's preliminary estimate issued last Sunday, which had indicated at least 1,000 additional deaths over the three hottest days of the heatwave.

Hospitals and funeral services stretched

The prolonged spell of extreme heat placed enormous pressure on France's healthcare system and funeral services.

In Paris, funeral directors reported a shortage of storage space for bodies awaiting burial or cremation, with several mortuaries reaching capacity and turning away additional cases.

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At Paris-Saclay Hospital, emergency department head Dr Nicolas Gonzales said patients suffering from heat-related illnesses began arriving in large numbers from June 20.

According to Gonzales, doctors treated people for dehydration, heart attacks, kidney problems and other complications linked to high temperatures, with patients ranging from young children to elderly people living alone.

Deaths surged in homes and care facilities

Public Health France said the steepest increase in fatalities occurred in private homes, where deaths rose by 91% compared with the previous week.

Deaths in care homes for older people increased by 37%, while fatalities in hospitals climbed by nearly 20%.

The Paris region recorded the sharpest week-on-week increase, with deaths rising by almost 63%, making it the worst-affected area during the heatwave.

The agency cautioned that the figures remain incomplete and are likely to rise further as more mortality data becomes available.

"The mortality will as a consequence be higher than these first figures," it said.

The heatwave, which saw France register its hottest days on record and shattered daytime and night time temperature records across several regions, was part of a broader spell of extreme weather that also affected large parts of Europe.

With inputs from agencies