Heat suffocates Europe: Hundreds dead, 200 million face unprecedented temperatures

The unprecedented heat wave sweeping across Europe since last week has spread toward the eastern part of the continent, leading to the cancellation of numerous events and placing immense pressure on hospitals. From France to Poland, via Croatia’s Adriatic coast, at least 193 million people in Europe, including 75 million in Germany, experienced temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius yesterday, surpassing the heat levels recorded the day before. As the heat wave moves toward the northeast of the continent, states of maximum alert have been declared in France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Hungary. Europeans are resorting to every possible means to avoid the extreme heat, seeking refuge in churches, sleeping in their homes’ basements, or dousing themselves in fountains. In Germany, weather experts have not ruled out temperatures reaching 42 degrees, after Saarbrücken recorded 41 degrees the day before, marking the highest temperature ever recorded in Germany. The “Solidaiz” music festival, scheduled to take place in the French capital, was canceled, as was a reenactment of the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium. In Germany, Hamburg will not hold its half-marathon race. In the Paris region, emergency services reported a massive 80% increase in incoming calls this week. Antoine Alliber, the Paris municipal assistant mayor in charge of health affairs, stated that Parisian hospitals are experiencing an unprecedented “exceptional overcrowding,” confirming that “we are in the midst of a health crisis.” In Britain, the healthcare system is “on the verge of collapse,” according to Dr. Hilary Williams, deputy president of the Royal College of Surgeons. The heat wave has caused hundreds of deaths across Europe. French ambulance services reported 109 deaths in Paris alone within 24 hours, while Spanish authorities reported more than 200 deaths. Deaths have also been recorded elsewhere in Europe among the elderly, patients with chronic illnesses, children, teenagers, and homeless people on the streets. Heat causes death through various mechanisms, including drowning, hyperthermia, heart attacks, and others.