France: 11,000 more deaths in August
France said today that 11,435 more people died there during a heat wave in the first two weeks of August compared with the same period a year earlier.
The health ministry’s provisional estimate did not directly link the increased death toll to the heat wave that led to massive backlogs at morgues and hospitals across the country.
While stopping short of tying the deaths to the record hot spell, the ministry said “the human drama linked to the heat wave hit the weakest people in our society.”
Compared with the same period a year earlier, the ministry said 11,435 more people died between August 1 and 15 – at a time when temperatures rose to 40 C (104 F) in many parts of France.
The centre-right government has come under pressure for its handling of the crisis. Many of the victims were elderly and were left alone as their families left on summer holidays.
Soon after signs of additional deaths started to appear, the French government first estimated that 1,600-3,000 people died from heat-related causes starting on August 7.
Then it said it was “plausible” that 5,000 died before finally agreeing an estimate of 10,000 by France’s largest undertaker was probably accurate.
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin had warned against giving too much credence to early death toll estimates. Final figures are not expected until next month.
The heat wave swept across many parts of Europe, devastating crops and fanning forest fires, but no country has announced a death toll even close to the one recorded by France.
August is the traditional month for summer holidays France, and many have accused families of leaving their elderly relatives at home during the heat.
On Wednesday, the centre-right government floated a proposal to scrap a national holiday and use the tax receipts to finance better health care for the elderly. The main question was which holiday to scrap.
