Melting roads, soaring deaths: Europe reels under record heatwave

Europe is grappling with its most intense heatwave on record, with soaring temperatures triggering a rise in heat-related deaths, overwhelming hospitals and funeral homes, disrupting transport and straining power infrastructure across the continent.

Several countries have recorded temperatures above 40°C in recent days, while the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Europe, the world's fastest-warming continent, is experiencing a growing public health emergency.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said more than 150 million people were living under extreme heat conditions and over 1,300 excess deaths had been recorded since 21 June.

"Heat stress is often called the 'silent killer' and European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for these temperatures," he said.

According to available data, the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland recorded temperatures of 41.9°C, 41.7°C and 40.5°C respectively over the weekend.

Heat cripples daily life

Videos circulating on social media showed the intensity of the heat, with people cooking eggs and bacon on frying pans left in direct sunlight.

Other widely shared clips appeared to show chocolates and other food products melting inside shops, plastic shopping trolleys and footwear warping in the heat, and bananas slipping from their peels after prolonged exposure to high temperatures.

Local media in Germany also reported tram tracks warping because of the heat, forcing the suspension of tram services in Leipzig over the weekend.

Visuals from Berlin showed police deploying water cannons to help residents cool off amid the scorching conditions.

Hindustan Times could not independently verify the authenticity of the social media videos.

Hospitals and morgues under pressure

France has emerged as one of the worst-affected countries.

French health authorities said around 1,000 more deaths than usual had been recorded since last Wednesday, while funeral homes reported severe capacity constraints.

According to the National Funeral Federation, occupancy at funeral homes has risen to more than 60 per cent nationwide, compared with the usual summer range of 30 to 45 per cent.

Federation representative Elisabeth Charrier said facilities in central Paris had been operating at full capacity since last Friday, forcing grieving families to seek space in surrounding suburbs.

She warned that longer waiting times for cremations and burials could create a cascading effect on funeral services.

Energy systems strained

The prolonged heat has also increased pressure on electricity infrastructure.

In Ukraine, where the energy network has already been heavily damaged by the war with Russia, authorities ordered emergency power outages in the western Rivne region to reduce stress on the grid.

Residents and businesses in five regions were warned of possible blackouts as electricity demand surged.

Sergii Kovalenko, chief executive of energy company Yasno, said the country's power infrastructure was facing an additional challenge after operating under wartime conditions for more than four years.

Meteorological agencies have warned that the heatwave is continuing to move eastwards, with high temperatures expected to persist across large parts of Europe in the coming days.