France recorded at least 5,700 more deaths than normal during the June heat record

At least 5,700 more people than usual died in France last month, as the country endured historic heat wavesaid French public health officials. That number represents the largest increase in the average death toll nationwide since June and early July temperatures.

Public Health France said the regions affected by the heat from June 17 to July 2 recorded 21,674 deaths from all causes. But without the heat wave, those same regions were expected to see far fewer deaths, or 15,910, based on statistical comparisons using data from previous years, it said.

The difference between the expected and actual deaths – a total of 5,764 – is therefore considered an “excess” death during the heat wave, the agency said.

It said the excess death toll, with 36% of deaths expected, was the highest of any heat wave since 2003. A historic heat wave that year caused an estimated 15,000 deaths in France.

France is registered its hottest days on June 24 and June 25 this year – with a national average of 86 degrees Fahrenheit – and record nighttime heat with high temperatures rising above 104 degrees in many areas.

Just over half of the deaths were unexpected during and after the heat wave, in the three days from June 25 to June 27, the public health agency said.

“This unprecedented event, characterized by its onset, intensity, and duration, has exposed almost the entire population to extreme heat at a time when school and work activities are still in full swing,” the agency noted.

There were 40 died from drowning filmed in France in one week in June, as people turned to swimming in the hope of relief from the heat.

All told, across Europe, the temperatures hit hard at the beginning and severe this year and saw the death of more than 10,000 10,000 people at the height of the heat wave than expected, according to statistics that still appear across the continent.

Across Western Europe, it was the hottest June on record, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Meteorologist Samantha Burgess said in a statement that the report’s findings “underscore how the climate is changing,” adding that rising temperatures “reflect a climate system that continues to accumulate heat.”

As the end of last month approaches, the head of the World Health Organization announced that Europe has reported more than 1,300 heat-related deaths in more than a week, most of them reported in France. And French officials told CBS News at the time that they had recorded nearly 1,000 deaths from heat exposure, mostly among elderly residents.

In France, the Paris region appears to be the hardest hit, recording an unexpected 1,999 deaths – about 80% more than expected without the heat wave, the French health agency said.

Undertakers in Paris said they are finding it difficult to find places to store the bodies before they are buried or cremated, some morgues say they are full and have to turn away the bodies.

About half of the more than 21,600 people who died died in hospitals, which struggled to operate on patients suffering from heat-related illnesses. About a third died at home and most of the rest died in nursing homes, the organization said.

The latest estimated death toll, which the agency said will be updated later in the year with more complete data, was much higher than the initial figures it had provided. Earlier it reported that about 2,000 people died from all causes in the week of June 22 to June 28, the highest number in France for a heat wave that also broke heat records in many other parts of Europe.

Experts warn that it takes a while for the full picture to emerge, and that many heat-related deaths will never be officially recorded. For example, a heart attack, which can be triggered by exposure to extreme heat, especially in the elderly or those with underlying health problems, may be listed on the death certificate as just a heart attack.