The health agency reported that successive heat waves may have caused two additional fatal work accidents, in its latest report.
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One of the many dramatic consequences of too high temperatures. Six fatal work accidents that occurred during the summer are suspected of having been favored by repeated heat waves, after the announcement of two additional cases by Public Health France, Thursday August 18.
One of the last two accidents notified by the General Directorate of Labor took place “during the July heat wave”and the other “during this new heat wave” at the beginning of August, specifies the health agency in its latest report. Public Health France did not give more details on the circumstances of the deaths or the identity of the victims.
The agency also gave a first estimate of the excess mortality observed in July in France: it estimates it at 20% above normal. But this figure does not only contain deaths linked to the heat wave and can include other causes, such as the new wave of Covid-19 which had affected France at the same time. A more specific report will be published in September.
Like other European countries, France was marked this summer by multiple episodes of heat waves, with many temperature records broken. Its neighbors have also been badly affected, with more than 500 people dying due to the heat in Spain.