Image source, ReutersImage caption, Poland recorded an all-time record temperature of 40.5C on Sunday as the heatwave move eastwards
Europe's unprecedented early summer heatwave may be responsible for hundreds of excess deaths, according to the head of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Temperature records were broken across the continent again on Sunday – including in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic – as the extreme heat continued to move east.
In a post on X, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said more than 1,300 excess deaths had been recorded since 21 June "linked to high temperatures in Europe".
"Heat stress is often called the 'silent killer' - and European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for these temperatures," he said.
On Sunday morning, France's national health ministry said there had been around 1,000 more deaths than expected in the country since Wednesday.
Many of the extra fatalities are among those aged 65 over, the agency said, after logging a 40% rise in the number of people dying at home.
"Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, heating at twice the global average," Tedros warned.
Millions of people across the continent are currently "living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling", he added.
Image source, ReutersImage caption, People cool off in the fountain in front of the Berlin Cathedral during the ongoing heatwave
On Sunday, Germany experienced its hottest-ever day for the third consecutive day after 41.7C was recorded in the east of the country, preliminary data showed.
A station in Coschen, near the Polish border in eastern Brandenburg, recorded 41.7C at around 16:00 local time.
The Czech Republic set its second temperature record in two days, recording 41.1C at Doksany, north of Prague, the meteorological institute CHMI said.
CHMI said it expected the heat to peak on Sunday, with rather heavy storms forecast for western areas later.
Poland also broke its all-time temperature record with 40.5C in the town of Slubice, a spokeswoman for the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW) told the AFP news agency on Sunday.
"Driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the 'once-in-a-generation' heatwave is now occurring nearly annual," he said.
He called on European countries to "implement heat health action plans", as part of a push to safeguard health in the face of climate change.
