A heatwave in the Netherlands in July caused about 1,000 more deaths than a normal July, the Dutch statistics office said today.
The statistics office said an average of 2,730 people died each week in July - the hottest month since Dutch records started in 1706 - compared to a normal figure of about 2,500.
Average temperatures in July were 6.6 degrees Celsius above the long-term average.
As temperatures fell in the first week of August, the number of deaths decreased.
Each increase in the average temperature of 1 degree Celsius resulted in an estimated extra 22 deaths of women and nine deaths of men a week, the data showed.
The Dutch KNMI meteorological institute has forecast a clear warming trend in the next 50 years and an increasing number of heatwaves.