Spain recorded more than 1,000 heat-related deaths in June, making it the country’s deadliest June since records began in 2015, according to excess mortality data released on Wednesday.
The Health Ministry’s daily mortality monitoring system attributed 1,028 deaths to extreme temperatures during the month, surpassing the previous June record of 1,000 deaths set in 2017.
The figures are based on excess mortality estimates, which compare the number of observed deaths with expected mortality during periods of extreme heat, rather than direct medical certification of heat as the cause of death.
Older adults accounted for nearly all of the fatalities. Of the reported deaths, 1,022 were among people aged 65 and above, including 720 aged 85 or older.
The data also recorded one heat-related death involving a person under the age of 15.