Mortality rates have risen sharply in Belgium due to the heat
Belgium has seen a sharp rise in mortality amid a severe heat wave. According to the Sciensano public health institute, the excess mortality rate reached 47%—the highest figure since records began in 2000.
Between June 18 and July 1, the country recorded 1,747 cases of excess mortality, significantly exceeding previous estimates.
Although official temperature records for June were not broken, temperatures in Brussels reached 35°C for several days in a row, and in some parts of the country, they reached 38–40°C.
Source: The Guardian.
Earlier, average nuclear power generation in France fell below 33 GW—the lowest level in the past nine months—due to the need to limit output at nuclear power plants. The reduction was caused by a critical rise in the temperature of the water in the rivers used to cool the reactors.
In Paris, officials attributed part of the blame for the record-breaking heatwave in Europe to the United States.
