Germany recorded approximately 14,000 heat-related deaths this summer as Europe experienced a series of severe heatwaves, according to data released by the Robert Koch Institute.

The public health authority said about 9,600 of the estimated deaths occurred during a single week in late June, when temperatures in parts of Germany exceeded 40C. People aged over 75 accounted for the largest proportion of the fatalities.

The institute explained that heat can cause death directly in cases such as heatstroke, but in many instances it worsens existing medical conditions, making it difficult to identify heat as the underlying cause on death certificates. As a result, researchers rely on statistical methods to estimate the number of deaths associated with extreme heat.

The latest figure is significantly higher than Germany's previous record of about 8,900 heat-related deaths recorded in 2018. In cooler years, the number has been substantially lower, with fewer than 2,000 heat-related deaths recorded in some years, including 2016.

According to the institute, the wide variation in annual figures reflects differences in the intensity and duration of heatwaves.

— BBC