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1,222 die in Belgian heat wave; death toll 39% above normal
Between 18 and 29 June, Belgium recorded 1,222 excess deaths during the heat wave, with the death rate rising 39 percent above normal levels.
During the heat wave that hit Belgium between 18 and 29 June, 1,222 excess deaths occurred. According to preliminary data from the Belgian Risk Management Group (RMG), the daily death toll reached its highest level since the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the deaths, 530 were among people aged 85 and over, while 180 excess deaths were recorded in the under-65 age group. During the heat wave, temperatures exceeded 30 degrees Celsius for seven consecutive days, and nighttime temperatures remained above seasonal norms.
The total number of deaths rose to 39 percent above normal levels. Vulnerable groups, particularly the elderly and people with chronic conditions, were severely affected by the extreme heat.
Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke responded to criticism of the government's handling of the heat wave. The minister said hospitals and care homes had been prepared in advance and that protecting vulnerable people is "a shared responsibility of society." Vandenbroucke acknowledged that the emergency hotline 112 did "not function as it should," and said he had asked Interior Minister Bernard Quintin to take stronger measures.
The health minister announced that he would commission a comprehensive evaluation of the public response to the heat wave and had asked the RMG to prepare recommendations to strengthen the country's preparedness for the next heat wave.
Meanwhile, Paul Magnette, leader of the Francophone Socialist Party in the main opposition, criticized the government, saying, "During the recent heat wave, 1,222 people lost their lives. The death rate rose 39 percent above normal levels, but the federal government took no measures." Magnette argued that the government has not acted sufficiently against the climate and public health crisis.
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