France’s heatwave death toll surpasses 10,000
10,000 people – mostly over the age of 75 – have been killed in France’s worst-ever heat wave, according to health officials.
Hubert Falco, French minister for the elderly, said it was “most probably” true that 10,000 people had died from the scorching temperatures.
In a nationwide address yesterday, President Chirac said everything would be done to address the shortcomings” and “inadequacies” revealed in this month’s blistering heat wave.
“The individual tragedies that our citizens have gone through are an ordeal that the whole nation shares. Everything will be done to fix the shortcomings that we saw in our health organisation,” he said.
“Many fragile people died alone in their homes,” he admitted.
Figures show that about 2,000 people died in their homes from the effects of dehydration and other related heat-related problems.
About half of the overall deaths were concentrated in the Paris area, officials said.
Temperatures peaked at more than 100F (37.8C) in northern France on the 12 August.
Critics of the French government said emergency services were too late coming into operation.
Matters were made worse with no air conditioning in many homes and hospitals.
And many hospital beds were left vacant in August, because hundreds of doctors and nurses were on holiday.
