This archive report was first published on 9 August 2019.
Published on August 9, 2019, a report by the Dutch national statistics agency CBS revealed a stark reality: nearly 400 more people died in the Netherlands during the recent record-breaking heatwave than in a regular summer week.
According to the CBS, a total of 2964 people died in the Netherlands during the week that started on July 22, which was around 15% more than during an average week in the summertime.
The heatwave, which saw temperature records tumble across Europe, particularly in the Netherlands, where temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for the first time since records began on July 25.
Researchers noted that the death toll in the Netherlands during that week was comparable to the rate during two heatwaves in 2006, which were among the longest ever in the country.
Notably, about 300 of the additional fatalities were among people aged 80 years and older, highlighting the vulnerability of the elderly to extreme heat.
Most of the deaths occurred in the east of the Netherlands, where temperatures were higher and the heatwave lasted longer than in other parts of the country.
