More than 5.000 deaths in Germany linked to high temperatures

Germany has recorded at least 5.120 deaths linked to high temperatures this year, most of which occurred during a heatwave in June.

Germany's main public health institute, Robert Koch Institute, said around 4.270 of those who died were over 75 years old.

At the end of June, temperatures in some parts of Germany exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. Most buildings in the country are not designed for such high temperatures, including numerous hospitals and nursing homes that still do not have air conditioning, Deutsche Welle reports.

The European Union's Copernicus Climate Service announced today that June this year was the warmest June ever recorded in Europe, with an average temperature more than three degrees Celsius above the average for the period 1991-2020.

Scientists believe that last month's record-breaking temperatures would have been "almost impossible" without human-caused climate change, primarily the burning of fossil fuels.