Europe's Silent Killer: Heat Waves Claim 30,000 Lives
Part of composite article Europe's Heat Waves Killed 30,000 People — And the Poorest Paid the Price View full article →
Extreme heat, long predicted by scientists, returned to Europe this summer. The result was a silent disaster that killed at least 30,000 people.
The victims were mostly the poor, the very young, the very old, and those already suffering from serious illnesses. The final death toll is expected to be higher.
A 2024 United Nations report estimated that heat-related deaths are increasing across the continent.