Heatwave sweeps Europe: more than 4,500 deaths predicted over the next three days

At the same time, the heat wave has hit Italy, Greece, Portugal and the western Balkans, causing widespread fires and the first casualties among the population, Politico reported.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that without urgent action, Europe will face tens of thousands of "unnecessary and entirely preventable deaths".

"It's no longer a question of whether there will be a heat wave. The question is how many heat waves we are expecting this year and how long they will last," said Marisol Iglesias Gonzalez, a WHO climate and health technical specialist in Bonn.

Statistician Pierre Massloh of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine told the publication that the heatwave could cause more than 4,500 excess deaths between 30 June and 3 July alone. Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and Luxembourg will be the hardest hit, he said.

"The hardest days will be Tuesday and Wednesday," the expert noted.

According to the WHO, the heatwave claims more than 175,000 lives in the Europe region every year. In January, Masslo co-authored a large-scale study covering 854 European cities. His conclusion: if countries don't adapt to climate change, heat-related deaths will rise sharply.

The WHO emphasises that climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels is making heat waves more frequent, longer lasting and more dangerous.

In Spain, 804 municipalities are on the highest warning level. According to the national weather agency Aemet, the heatwave will not recede until 3 July. Similar alerts have been declared in France, Italy, Portugal and Greece.

In Greece, additional warnings of air pollution due to forest fires in the coastal areas of Athens. In Turkey, more than 50,000 people have been evacuated because of the fire near Izmir. In Albania, 26 fires were recorded during the day, and in Serbia the temperature record was set since the XIX century.

WHO advises residents to follow simple but important measures: drink more water, avoid sun exposure in the middle of the day, ventilate and cool rooms. Special attention should be paid to the elderly, children, pregnant women, people with chronic diseases and those taking medications that affect thermoregulation, such as antidepressants or blood pressure medication.

However, warnings are not enough, WHO emphasises. As of 2022, only 21 countries out of 57 in the European region had a national heatwave action plan, of which only 14 were part of the EU.

The most common measures are warning systems and information campaigns. But Iglesias Gonzalez says countries need to do more to reform public health and develop sustainable urban planning to really reduce the effects of extreme heat.

In 2026, WHO will present new guidance to governments, including recommendations on so-called "people-centred cooling" - that is, measures to protect people from heat waves at the city and regional level.