In Germany there are many heat deaths this year. The Robert Koch Institute thinks the number is 15.800. There were never so many since 2016. It was very hot at the end of June. Alone there about 9.600 people die. Also at the start of August there are many dead people.
The heat hits old people most. More than half of the dead people are over 85 years old. Often the heat does not directly lead to death. But it makes existing illnesses worse. This concerns for example the heart or the kidneys. On the death certificate then often stands organ failure.
In Austria the numbers also go up. At the end of July there are 10 percent more deaths than usual. The experts call this excess mortality. On August 5 there is a new heat record. In Bad Deutsch Altenburg it is 41.2 degrees. Exact numbers for the whole summer are still missing in Austria.
