France Records More Than 4,000 Deaths During Mid-June Heat Wave, Far Below 2003 Toll

France recorded more than 4,000 deaths during the three peak days of a record heat wave last week. Public Health France said deaths reached more than 1,200 on Wednesday, more than 1,400 on Thursday and another 1,400 on Friday. The pre-heat wave daily average in April and May had been 900 to 1,000.

Eighty-five percent of the deaths registered so far involved people aged 65 and older. Deaths at home rose about 40 percent during the heat wave, particularly in the Paris region. The agency warned that the final toll will rise once more death certificates from homes and care facilities are processed.

Temperatures exceeded 40 C (104 F) in many places and broke records for nighttime lows. The heat wave began in mid-June and later shifted eastward across Europe. Funeral directors in Paris said storage facilities filled within days.

One mortuary owner reported receiving hundreds of calls and having to turn families away after all 32 cold-room places were taken. City officials installed two temporary storage units holding 20 places each and hospitals added another 50 spaces. Some directors said they had to move bodies as far as Chartres, 80 kilometers from Paris.

A funeral director in Paris said most recent deaths involved people living alone and urged renewed community checks on isolated residents. "I think people absolutely need to wake up, that solidarity needs to come back... " — Véronique Bertrand, Paris funeral director.

Historic heat in 2003 caused 15,000 deaths, and more than 5,700 were attributed to heat last summer.