Data shows that Europe experienced 10,000 deaths in excess during the late June heatwave.

Official data revealed that European countries had reported over 10,000 deaths in excess during the record-breaking heatwave?that engulfed western Europe late June.

According to EuroMOMO data, the vast majority of cases -- over 9,000 -- occurred among those aged 65 and older.

Heat stroke or a worsening of cardiovascular and respiratory disease can be fatal. Older people are most at risk.

This kind of excess is not normal for this time of the year. Lasse Vestergaard is the Chief Physician of?Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut which hosts EuroMOMO.

Vestergaard said that it is hard to explain the high mortality rate by anything other than extreme heat.

Scientists say that the heatwave of late June would have been "virtually unavoidable" if it weren't for climate change caused by humans, which makes heatwaves more intense and frequent.

Data from 27 European countries was pooled to include excess deaths from all causes (not just heat related) during the week from June 22 - 28 when the heatwave peaked in France, Spain, Britain, and other countries.

Scientists said that there was no known major factor, such as COVID-19 epidemics, which would have contributed the increase in excess deaths to 10,650 during that week.

In Europe, the combined mortality of the same countries over the eight previous weeks was on average around 500 deaths below normal levels. EuroMOMO's data may be revised as new data is received.

The extreme heatwave that swept through Europe at the end June shut down schools and disrupted electricity supplies. It also broke temperature records in France, Spain, and the UK.

EuroMOMO doesn't publish the number of excess deaths in each country. However, it did note that France and Belgium were two of the few countries in Europe with "high excess" mortality during the last week in June.

According to Belgium's public health institution Sciensano, the excess mortality during heatwaves in Belgium was the highest since records began in?2000.

Separate scientific research published on Monday estimated that 2,700 people died due to heat-related deaths?in England and Wales during the May and June heatwaves.

According to Imperial College London, UK Met Office, and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine,?42% of those deaths were caused by extra heat from global warming. (Reporting and editing by Andrew Heavens; Kate Abnett)

(source: Reuters)