LONDON: Early data indicates that during last month’s record-breaking heatwave in Europe, England and Wales had roughly 1,700 more deaths in only one week, while 1,700 more deaths were recorded in Portugal and Spain.
The findings provide the first evidence of heat-related deaths when temperatures from London to Madrid reach close to 40 degrees Celsius or more, but they are expected to vary when data are updated.
The data for England and Wales, which the British Office for National Statistics released on Tuesday, compares the number of fatalities that were reported between July 16 and 22 to what would be predicted for the same time period based on 5-year mortality trends.
The World Health Organization’s estimate for the Iberian Peninsula is equally tentative.However, the numbers from July were well below the 70,000 deaths attributed to heat during a heatwave in Europe in 2003.The following are a few of the reasons why some heatwaves are deadlier than others.
