HELL ON EARTH

July Heatwave Caused 400 Deaths in Netherlands: Report

The hottest July on record caused hundreds of deaths during one week when record highs were shattered across Europe.

Nearly 400 people died in the Netherlands during the week of July 22 because of an extreme heatwave across Europe, according to Reuters. Nearly 300 of those who died were over the age of 80. The total number of deaths in the Netherlands the week starting July 22 was 2,964, up 15 percent from a normal summer week, due to the extreme weather that sent temperatures above 100 degrees. The majority of the heat-related deaths occurred in the eastern regions of the Netherlands, where the heatwave lasted longer than other parts of the country. Several European nations broke all-time heat records during July, including Paris, where temperatures reached 108.6 degrees; Germany, which hit 106.7 degrees; and England, which logged temperatures of 100.5 degrees in Cambridge.