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At least 15,000 killed by hot weather in Europe in 2022: WHO
Updated 19:59, 08-Nov-2022
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A near deserted Hyde park with parched grass due to hot weather in London, UK, August 14, 2022. /CFP
A near deserted Hyde park with parched grass due to hot weather in London, UK, August 14, 2022. /CFP

A near deserted Hyde park with parched grass due to hot weather in London, UK, August 14, 2022. /CFP

At least 15,000 people have died in Europe because of hot weather in 2022 so far, the World Health Organization said Monday, with Spain and Germany among the worst-affected countries.

The three months from June-August were the hottest in Europe since records began, and the exceptionally high temperatures led to the worst drought the continent has witnessed since the Middle Ages.

"Based on country data submitted so far, it is estimated that at least 15,000 people died specifically due to the heat in 2022," the WHO's Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement. 

"Nearly 4,000 deaths in Spain, more than 1,000 in Portugal, more than 3,200 in the United Kingdom, and around 4,500 deaths in Germany were reported by health authorities during the three months of summer," he added.

"This estimate is expected to increase as more countries report on excess deaths due to heat," it said, highlighting the UN climate summit in Egypt and its calls for rapid action.

Read more:

Temperatures rising twice as fast as world average ravaging Europe

Britain on course for hottest day on record while Europe battles wildfires in intense heat

Source(s): AFP

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