France has recorded more than 1,000 excess deaths due to record heat. Throughout Europe - more than 1300

France has recorded about a thousand more deaths than expected since June 24, during a record heat wave sweeping Western Europe, the country's public health agency (Santé publique France) said.

The most noticeable increase in deaths was in regions where a red alert was in effect due to the heat - in particular in the regions of Ile-de-France, New Aquitaine, Brittany, Center-Loire Valley, Normandy and Loire Lands.

The increase in mortality affected all age groups, but 85% of those who died were people aged 65 years and older. The number of deaths has increased in hospitals, nursing homes and at home. Moreover, since June 24, home mortality has increased particularly sharply (by about 40%), primarily in the Ile-de-France region.

Across Europe, there have been more than 1,300 excess deaths related to high temperatures since June 21, according to the World Health Organization. “Heat stress is often referred to as the 'silent killer', and European homes, workplaces and schools were not designed for such temperatures,” WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus wrote.