Berlin (AFP) – Some 16,300 people died in Germany due to extreme heat episodes this summer, a record since records began, according to official data updated and published this Thursday.

First modification: 09/03/2026 - 12:53

The figure exceeds the 15,800 deaths as of August 16 reported last week by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the government health agency.

The new data provided this Thursday by the same institute now covers the period between June 1 and August 23. According to the RKI, most of the victims were over 75 years old.

The organization estimates that 9,600 of those 16,300 people died during the especially hot week of June 22 to 28, in which Germany experienced record temperatures that exceeded 41 ºC.

European countries recorded excess mortality of more than 30,000 people during successive heat waves that, according to scientists, are linked to climate change caused by human activity.

© 2026 AFP

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