The Rhine River is drying up as Europe, gripped by a heat wave since May, endures an unusually dry summer with far below-normal rainfall. [Yonhap]
The Rhine River is drying up as Europe, gripped by a heat wave since May, endures an unusually dry summer with far below-normal rainfall. [Yonhap]

German authorities estimate that more than 10,000 people have died from heat-related causes in the country this year.

Germany's disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute, said heat-related deaths had reached approximately 12,500 as of Aug. 2, with around 9,600 of those occurring during the June 22–28 period when temperatures climbed to around 40 degrees Celsius.

The toll is roughly 10 times higher than the approximately 1,200 heat-related deaths recorded in 2016. Even in 2018, the deadliest heat year since then, the full-year death count stood at 9,400.

The institute calculates excess mortality using its own statistical model. Most deaths involved underlying health conditions compounding the effects of heat, rather than direct causes such as heatstroke. More than half of this year's victims — 6,270 people — were aged 85 or older.

The institute said its heat death figures were conservatively estimated and that the actual toll could be higher.


ikson@heraldcorp.com