The number of heat-related fatalities in Germany has climbed to its highest level in nearly 10 years, according to a report released on Thursday by the Robert Koch Institute, the country's federal disease control agency.
The latest data showed that approximately 9,800 deaths linked to elevated temperatures had occurred in Germany as of July 19, surpassing the annual toll for any full year since 2016.
Figures showed that much of Germany experienced prolonged hot conditions starting in late June, with temperatures in some areas approaching 40 degrees Celsius and exceeding 41 degrees in certain locations.
The institute noted that extreme heat rarely causes death directly; the vast majority of cases result from the combined effects of high temperatures and underlying conditions affecting the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and renal systems. The death count was derived through statistical estimation methods.
The findings also revealed that elderly populations were the most severely affected, with individuals aged 85 and above accounting for the largest share of fatalities.
Heatwave death toll hits 9,800 in Germany
Heatwave death toll hits 9,800 in Germany
Japan on Thursday began a new round of discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea, marking the 22nd such release since the controversial operation began in 2023.
The discharge started at 11:28 local time.
According to the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), the latest round, scheduled to continue through August 17, will release about 7,800 tonnes of wastewater into the ocean, containing approximately 1.3 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium.
Struck by a 9-magnitude earthquake and the ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011, the Fukushima nuclear plant suffered core meltdowns that released radiation, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.
Despite concerns and opposition from the international community, Japan unilaterally launched the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi plant into the ocean in August 2023. So far, TEPCO has completed 21 rounds of discharges, and around 165,000 tonnes of wastewater have been released into the sea.
Japan begins 22nd release of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater
