Germany's Deadliest Heatwave: 5,120 Deaths in 2023

Germany experienced its deadliest heatwave on record in July 2023, with 5,120 heat-related deaths reported by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). The EU climate service Copernicus recorded a new temperature record, with temperatures more than 3°C above the June average for 1991-2020. The crisis was so severe that Frank Stollmann, head of a department in North Rhine-Westphalia's health ministry, reported bottlenecks in corpse transport, as undertakers could not keep up. Under state law, bodies must be moved to a morgue within 36 hours, but morgue space also ran short in some areas. The majority of the deceased were elderly or had pre-existing conditions. The heatwave's mortality rate rivaled peaks seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.