Europe Heatwave: Over 1,000 Killed In Spain As Day Temperature Touches 40 Degrees Celsius

The excessive heat mostly affected elderly as 672 of the victims were 85 years of age or above. While 241 deaths occurred between the age groups of 75 and 84.

Tourists fill the Levante beach in Benidorm to quench high temperatures as a heatwave sweeps across Spain on July 16, 2022 in Benidorm, Spain.

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With heatwave conditions aggravating in Europe, Spain’s health ministry reported 1,047 deaths this year as temperatures soared to touch 40 degrees celsius in many parts of the country over the past 10 days, reported news agency ANI. The maximum temperature has surpassed record levels in several countries including UK that recorded over 40 degrees celsius. This has caused misery for millions and brought back the spotlight on global warming.

These heat-related casulaties were recorded between July 10 to 19, according to data collected by the Monitorization of Daily Mortality (MoMo). The extreme heat conditions mostly affected elderly as 672 of the victims were 85 years of age or above. While 241 deaths happened between the age group of 75 and 84. And 88 deaths were recorded among people aged between 65 and 74.

Bea Hervella, spokesperson for the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET) noted that the death rate was higher among people with respiratory and cardio-vascular diseases. Hervella believes it is mainly because the body’s temperature regulation mechanism, which is not fully developed among young people, often overreacts among the elderly.

“The consequences of heat and dehydration can affect you hours after being exposed to the heat,” said Paul Molina, chief of emergency services at Torrejon Hospital in Madrid.

 The first heatwave of this summer in Spain began on June 11 and lasted a week. The mercury was way above 40 degrees Celsius and 829 people died of heat-related causes, according to the Carlos III Health Institute.

On Wednesday, the UK Met Office registered 40.2 degrees Celsius (104.4 degrees Fahrenheit) at Heathrow Airport, the country's highest-ever temperature on record. Earlier, the highest temperature recorded in Britain was 38.7 C (101.7 F), a record set in 2019.