WHO: At least 15,000 people died in the heat of Europe

WHO At least 15000 people died in the heat of

Summer, July, and August were the hottest in European measurement history, and the exceptional heat led to the worst drought on the continent since the Middle Ages. Spain and Germany suffered the worst from the heat.

19:48•Updated 19:50

At least 15,000 people died in the European heat this year, the World Health Organization WHO says. The number of deaths is believed to increase as more countries report their own statistics to the WHO.

Summer, July, and August were the hottest in European measurement history, and the exceptional heat led to the worst drought on the continent since the Middle Ages. For example, in Britain, for the first time in the history of measurements, readings over 40 degrees were measured during the June and July heat waves.

WHO Regional Manager for Europe Hans Kluge says in the release that the country-specific statistics submitted to the WHO so far show that almost 4,000 people died as a result of the heat in Spain, more than a thousand in Portugal, more than 3,200 in Britain and about 4,500 people in Germany.

Source: AFP

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