France saw 7,000 excess deaths during heatwaves until late July, minister says

A person cools off from a water fountain in the Parc Monceau as temperatures rise in Paris during a second heatwave affecting a large part of France, June 19, 2026. REUTERS

PARIS, Sept 4 (Reuters) – French Health Minister ​Stephanie Rist said ‌on Friday that there were ​around 7,000 ​excess deaths recorded during ⁠the blistering ​heatwaves that hit ​the country this summer as of ​late July, ​adding that final data ‌will ⁠be available in the coming weeks.

The country’s health ​agency ​had ⁠estimated the excess deaths ​during the ​period between ⁠June 17 and July ⁠2 ​at 5,764.

Reporting ​by Inti Landauro, Editing ​by Dominique Vidalon