Heatwave linked to more than 5,000 deaths in Germany, RKI says

Reuters - Germany has recorded an estimated 5,120 heat-related ​deaths so far this year, ‌most of them in late June when weekly average temperatures far exceeded ​20 degrees Celsius, the Robert ​Koch Institute (RKI) for public health ⁠said on Thursday.

Around 4,270 of ​the deaths were among people aged ​75 and older, the RKI said in a weekly report. More women than ​men died, mainly because they ​make up a higher share of the very ‌old.

The ⁠German data add to a grim picture across Europe. The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said ​in a ​bulletin ⁠on Thursday that Western Europe had its hottest ​June on record with an ​average ⁠of 20.74 degrees.

National authorities have reported more than 4,700 excess deaths during ⁠the ​June 20-28 heatwave ​in France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands.