Over 2500 people lost lives due to intense heatwave in England

LONDON: Extreme heat, which struck England and Wales in May and June, has killed an estimated 2,700 people, experts from the climate and health sector have found.

Researchers from Imperial College London, the Met Office, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine have stated that there were about hundreds of excess deaths associated with two large-scale heatwaves in the period.

According to the research, some 550 excess deaths have been reported between May 21 and 29, whereas some 2,200 deaths took place during the heatwave from June 18 to 28.

The June heatwave has been exceptionally harsh since the temperature has reached up to 37.7°C, thus breaking a 50-year record of the highest temperature and putting even more stress on those vulnerable groups who are older or ill.

“The most deaths happened during the June heatwave because of the exceptional temperatures,” Prof Friederike Otto says. “People should realize that they are not entirely safe from extreme heat even if they are healthy. It is expected to occur more often in the future.”

Both heat waves, according to experts, occurred due to heat doming, which is a type of weather phenomenon whereby hot air gets trapped above a geographical area for long durations.

Medical experts indicated that the heat poses risks such as heart attacks, dehydration, and strokes, among others that could be fatal, explaining that heat waves are a “silent killer” that can affect any individual, even the healthy ones.

The discovery is amidst climate experts’ warnings that global warming results in more frequent heatwaves in Europe and other areas around the world.