Heatwave death toll rises to at least 900, RIVM says

At least 900 more people than usual died in the Netherlands during last month’s extreme heat, more than earlier estimates suggested, according to updated figures from the public health institute RIVM.

The deaths occurred between June 22 and July 5, a period covering the code red heatwave and the days just after it. Most of those who died were aged 80 or over, and mortality was highest in the south and east, where temperatures climbed highest.

RIVM said the heat very likely played a role, although the exact causes of death are not recorded. In extreme heat the organs of older people work less well, and they tend to sweat and drink less; people with heart, vascular or lung conditions are also more at risk.

Poor air quality from smog during the heatwave added to the strain on vulnerable people, the institute said.

The total is higher than RIVM’s first estimate. For the week of June 22 to 28 alone, it now counts 586 excess deaths, up from the roughly 480 reported earlier this month. A further 325 people died than expected in the week of June 29 to July 5, partly a delayed effect of the heat.

The heatwave, which ran from June 18 to 29, brought the KNMI weather service’s first-ever code red warning for heat – a level not triggered even during the record temperatures of 2019.