France health agency reports sharp rise in Paris-region deaths during June heatwave

France's public health agency said deaths in the Paris region were more than double normal levels during a record-breaking heatwave in June.

Sante Publique France said in a report on Friday that a very high excess mortality rate was observed in Ile-de-France between June 22 and 28. The report recorded 3,000 fatalities in the region, which the agency said was 1,565 more deaths than expected.

The Paris region was among the hardest hit areas for excess deaths during the June heatwave, one of three heatwaves to affect France since May.

The agency said the Paris-region deaths mainly involved people over 65, who accounted for 82.4 percent of the deaths. It also said the number could still increase.

Initial figures for the June heatwave showed 2,000 more fatalities than expected across France, but that national figure was expected to rise.

Deaths linked to heatwaves are not limited to immediate effects such as dehydration and hyperthermia, because some effects can take days to appear.

France's weather service said the 14-day June heatwave was more intense than the 2003 episode that claimed 15,000 lives in France, although the June heatwave was two days shorter.

The heatwave affected Europe and broke all-time temperature records in several countries. Scientists have linked the increasing frequency of extreme weather to human-made climate change.

World Weather Attribution, a network of climate scientists, said last month that the heatwave was the most severe ever recorded based on a three-day forecast of average peak temperatures over the region it studied. The network said such a heatwave would have been virtually impossible without the influence of climate change.