PARIS — Paris mortuaries are overwhelmed, leaving families and funeral directors struggling to find space for the dead as Europe endures a record heat wave. Temperatures in the French capital soared to 44 degrees Celsius, exposing critical vulnerabilities in public services across the continent. This crisis highlights the severe strain on national infrastructure.
France, the first country hit from mid-June, saw a surge in deaths during the heat wave's peak last week. Public Health France reported over 1,000 additional deaths between June 24 and 27 alone. Last Wednesday, France registered its hottest-ever day, with more than 1,200 deaths. This grim toll rose to over 1,400 deaths on Thursday and another 1,400 on Friday. A staggering 85% of these registered deaths involved people aged 65 and above, with deaths at home rising by about 40%, particularly in the Paris region.
Zouhaeir Hertelli, a funeral director whose cold room has 32 places, has been forced to turn away hundreds of callers. “We’re facing a really catastrophic situation,” he stated. Funeral directors are now storing bodies as far as Chartres, 80 kilometers from Paris, and in other regions around the capital. Hertelli's request to install temporary refrigerated containers outside his mortuary near Orly airport remains unanswered by authorities.
The Cost to Our People
Véronique Bertrand, another Paris funeral director, noted that most deaths her industry handles involve people living alone and isolated. She urged, “I think people absolutely need to wake up, that solidarity needs to come back.” This plea for renewed community spirit comes as traditional social bonds appear to fray, leaving the most vulnerable exposed during times of national crisis.
The deadly temperatures shifted eastward across Europe over the weekend. On Sunday, Germany, Czechia, Poland, and Hungary all recorded temperatures exceeding 40C. By Monday, the heat wave continued its eastward march, with Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia expecting similar record highs. Bautzen in eastern Saxony even broke the German record for the highest overnight minimum temperature at 29.4C.
A Guardian briefing indicated that more than 150 million Europeans sweltered in temperatures above 35C. It warned that when scientists complete their calculations, the death toll will likely number in the thousands. Spain has recorded over 100 deaths per day since Wednesday. French authorities confirmed at least 1,000 additional deaths between June 24 and 27, including four toddlers. A three-year-old boy in a Paris suburb was found dead last week after becoming trapped in a car.
A Crisis of Mismanagement
This wider European heat wave has intensified political debate, pushing climate issues to the forefront of the culture wars. Ajit Niranjan, the Guardian’s Europe environment correspondent, observed that “far-right parties who are denying the science of climate change can get a bit of a boost from extreme weather events.” He explained that they “spin the extreme weather as a failure of government policy, arguing that focusing on climate change was part of the initial problem, and it is more about mismanagement.” This perspective highlights a growing public distrust in the establishment's priorities.
While some debate the necessity of air conditioning, the far-right National Rally in France has already announced a “major” plan for AC. This contrasts with the perceived indecision or misdirection from other political factions.
Strained Nations, Strained Services
The UK and other European countries proved unprepared for the severe strain extreme weather places on health and travel networks. The London ambulance service recorded its busiest ever day for serious callouts last Wednesday, responding to 642 reports of cardiac arrests and life-threatening injuries. This record was broken again two days later, with more 999 calls made than even during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hundreds of schools closed early, workplaces overheated, and train operators advised people not to travel. London Heathrow recorded four tropical nights in a row, with the UK’s record June temperature reaching 37.3C.
The World Health Organization stated earlier this month that nearly 200,000 people had died in Europe due to heat in the past four years. The majority of these deaths, the WHO noted, would have been preventable if “obvious adaptation measures” had been taken. Scientists have long warned of these events, yet countries have evidently failed to adequately adapt their transport and healthcare systems, leaving their populations vulnerable to predictable crises.