European heatwave killed more than 19,000

MORE than 19,000 people died in a heatwave that baked much of Europe in August, placing it among the worst hot-weather disasters in a century, according to official estimates

The number of dead may be even higher, since a survey of a dozen countries found that two Spain and Germany have blamed only a fraction of summer fatalities on the heat so far.

The worst-hit country was France, which reported a staggering heatwave death toll of 14,802. Scientists at INSERM, the National Institute of Health and Medical Research, reached the figure by counting the number of deaths over and above what would be expected for the month of August.