OVER 14,000 EXCEEDED HEAT-RELATED DEATHS

BRUSSELS, JULY 14 /SRNA/ - More than 14,000 people died during a heatwave that hit six European countries in late June, Politico reported, citing preliminary official death tolls and expert estimates.

In the second half of June, about 2,000 extraordinary deaths were recorded in France, 1,740 in Belgium, 6,800 in Germany and 480 in the Netherlands.

Spain and the United Kingdom also recorded deaths - 810 and 2,200, respectively.

These deaths are believed to be related to the heat, as researchers have found no other obvious explanations or public threats that could have led to such a sharp jump in mortality rates.

Extreme heat swept across Europe in mid-June, with temperatures in several countries approaching and in some places exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.

In the last week of June, temperature records were broken in several European countries, RIA Novosti recalls.