France has recorded at least 2,025 excess deaths during the heatwave that hit the country last month, according to reports from health authorities.
Health Minister Stephanie Rist stated on Friday that the number of deaths could potentially rise. The increase has been particularly significant among individuals over 45 years of age, Rist noted in an interview with TF1.
Data from Santé publique France revealed that deaths rose by nearly 30% across the country, with a staggering 62% increase in the Paris region during the peak week of June 22, which marked the height of the exceptional heatwave.
Green Party Moves for Censure Vote
The French Green Party announced on Tuesday its intention to file a motion of censure against the government due to its handling of the heatwave preparations last week.
This bid to topple Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s minority government is unlikely to succeed without support from other opposition parties such as the National Assembly or the Socialist Party, as reported by Politico.
However, the Prime Minister and his team have faced intense criticism over their level of preparedness for extreme heat conditions.
Typically, heatwaves in France cause between 1,000 and 7,000 deaths annually. Nicolas Revel, the director of Paris’s public hospital system, indicated that the death toll from the June heatwave is expected to be lower than the tragic figure of 15,000 from 2003 but likely higher than last year’s 5,700 fatalities, as noted by Le Monde.
Public Concern Over Preparedness
France recently experienced its highest average daily temperature on record for three consecutive days.
Temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius in major cities, yet the country lacks adequate air conditioning and cooling systems.
A survey conducted by the Elabe polling institute during two of the hottest days of the heatwave revealed that two-thirds of respondents believe the Lecornu government mismanaged the current crisis.
Moreover, 53% of those surveyed stated that they feel France is “not at all prepared” to handle such a heatwave.
