Few European countries were hit as hard by this year's summer heat as France, where the highest temperature measured was 46 degrees Celsius in the southern parts of the country at the end of June.

The government has now presented a summary of how many people are estimated to have died as a result of the two heat waves that caused France to boil in June and July, writes Le Parisien.

The Ministry of Health estimates an additional 1,435 deaths, 567 during the first heat wave and 868 during the second. More than two-thirds of the deaths occurred in the over-75 age group, while people aged 65-74 were hardest hit in the second wave.

In departments where the authorities issued the highest warning level, the excess mortality rate was 50 percent more than in the others.

However, the total figure is significantly lower than during the extensive heat wave in the summer of 2003, when almost 19,500 people are estimated to have died as a result of the heat. The Ministry of Health explains the decrease by saying that preventive measures paid dividends.

Source: TT