A severe heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed Paris’ mortuary system to its limits, with morgues running out of space to accommodate the growing number of bodies.
According to the Associated Press (AP), funeral home operators are receiving calls every few minutes from grieving families asking the same heartbreaking question: “Do you have room for one more body?”
After filling his facility with 32 bodies, morgue owner Zouhair Hertili has been forced to repeatedly answer, “No.”
“We are facing a catastrophic situation,” Hertili said. “I receive hundreds of phone calls every day.”
As the intense heatwave began shifting toward other parts of Europe on Sunday, French authorities started assessing the human cost of the extreme temperatures.
Death Toll May Take Weeks or Months to Confirm
While it is already evident that the June heatwave has claimed many lives across France, public health officials say it could take weeks or even months to determine the full death toll.
Officials reported on Sunday that approximately 1,000 more people than usual died over the past five days. Most of the victims were elderly individuals who passed away in their homes.
“The heatwave has caused an extraordinary rise in deaths,” Hertili said. “Our facilities are full, and the pressure on the system is enormous.”
France’s National Public Health Agency said its preliminary assessment shows that deaths increased significantly during the peak of last week’s heatwave.
Throughout the week, temperatures exceeded 40°C (104°F) across much of France, while nighttime temperatures also reached record highs, offering little relief to people already suffering through scorching daytime conditions.
Record-Breaking Temperatures
Public Health France reported that last Wednesday was the hottest day ever recorded in the country’s history. Around 1,200 people died that day, and the national heat record set on Tuesday was broken just one day later.
The number of daily deaths rose to approximately 1,400 on Thursday and remained at around 1,400 on Friday.
Before the heatwave, daily deaths in April and May typically ranged between 900 and 1,000.
The health agency has warned that the actual number of deaths during the three most extreme days of the heatwave could be even higher than the initial estimates, as many death certificates have yet to be processed.
These unrecorded deaths may include people who died at home or in nursing homes, where records have not yet been entered into the electronic reporting system.