---
title: "Over 10,000 Victims: Europe Mourns Losses from Record June Heatwave"
description: "🔥 Record heat in Europe has claimed more than 10,000 lives. The majority of victims are elderly people over 65 years old. France and Belgium became the leaders in mortality, and scientists link the catastrophe to climate change. 🌍💀"
date: 2026-07-13T01:58:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/over-10000-victims-europe-mourns-losses-from-record-june-heatwave
tags: [euro-momo, climate-change, european-heatwave, france, belgium]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Over 10,000 Victims: Europe Mourns Losses from Record June Heatwave

![Woman drinking water from a bottle under a sunshade against rocky terrain, illustrating the impact of record June heatwave in Europe](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/13/rekordnaya-zhara-v-evrope-unesla-10-tysyach-zhiznei/rekordnaya-zhara-v-evrope-unesla-10-tysyach-zhiznei-1.webp)

Europe is grappling with the tragic consequences of extreme heat that swept across the western part of the continent at the end of June. According to official data, more than 10,000 deaths have been recorded, directly linked to abnormally high temperatures. The EuroMOMO monitoring network, operating with the support of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the WHO, has published shocking statistics confirming the scale of the disaster.

### Who fell victim to the anomaly

Data analysis shows that the overwhelming majority of the deceased are people aged 65 and older. Their number exceeds 9,000. Lasse Westergaard, the chief physician of the Danish Serum Institute, speaking at the EuroMOMO conference, noted the unprecedented nature of the situation. According to him, such a level of excess mortality at this time of year is extremely unusual and has almost no explanation other than extreme heat.

Scientists emphasize that the heatwave at the end of June would have been "practically impossible" without anthropogenic climate change. Due to global warming, such phenomena are becoming not only more frequent but also significantly more intense.

### Geography of the tragedy

Although EuroMOMO does not publish detailed data for each individual country, the network has highlighted two states where the situation was most critical. France and Belgium became the only countries in Europe where "very high" excess mortality was recorded during the last week of June.

Particular attention is drawn to data from Belgium. According to information from the local public health institute Sciensano, the mortality rate during this heatwave was the highest in the entire history of observations, starting from 2000. The situation in the United Kingdom was also critical: a separate scientific study showed that only in England and Wales, during the May and June heatwaves, 2,700 people died from causes related to overheating.

### Consequences and causes

Reuters clarifies that the statistics cover 27 EU countries and account for excess mortality from all causes, not just heatstroke. However, experts are convinced that there were no other significant factors capable of causing such a sharp spike in mortality to 10,650 people during the period from June 22 to 28. In particular, the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic during this period was not decisive.

Extreme temperatures led to serious social and infrastructural problems. Power outages were recorded in France, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and schools were forced to close their doors. June became the warmest month in Western Europe in the entire history of meteorological observations.

Against the backdrop of these events, the debate over responsibility for the climate crisis is intensifying. Audrey Pulvar, the Deputy Mayor of Paris, previously stated that the United States remains one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. In her opinion, America bears significant responsibility for the consequences of global warming that European residents are now feeling.