2023-06-27 20:04:00
27.06.2023 22:04
(Akt. 27.06.2023 22:04)
Not everyone can tolerate the high temperatures ©APA/dpa
In Spain, more than 350 people died last summer due to extreme heat. According to a report published on Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) on the causes of mortality in Spain in 2022, an increasing number of deaths have been attributed to the high temperatures.
According to INE, 157,580 people died in the summer months between May and August 2022 – 26,849 more than in 2019. 122 of them suffered heat stroke – 49 in 2019. INE gave dehydration as the cause of death for a further 233, compared to 109 deaths in the year 2019
Many of the additional deaths are “due to prior chronic conditions” such as high blood pressure, diabetes and dementia, which increase the risk of death in extreme heat, INE explained. According to the weather service Aemet, 2022 was the hottest year on record in Spain.
This year, too, the southern European country is groaning under the first heat wave of the summer. Temperatures rose to over 44 degrees in southern Spain on Monday. According to the authorities, two people have already died as a result of the heat.
On Saturday, a 47-year-old man with sunstroke collapsed while working in the fields in the small town of Aznalcóllar near Seville. Another farmer died on Monday from heat stroke while working in his vineyard in Cinco Casas, a village regarding 160 kilometers south of Madrid.
On Tuesday the temperatures dropped a bit, but were still above 40 degrees in some places. According to Aemet, the heat is expected to last until Thursday.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, Europe is facing increasing deadly heat waves due to global warming. According to experts, Spain is probably one of the countries most affected by climate change. Although the southern European country has gotten used to the high summer temperatures, heat waves are increasing, lasting longer and accompanied by higher temperatures – and with less and less precipitation.
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