Thousands will have died in UK's unprecedented May and June heatwaves
Researchers estimate that over 2,700 people in England and Wales died due to extreme heatwaves in May and June. The study attributes these deaths to record-breaking temperatures exacerbated by human-induced climate change and a 'heat dome' weather pattern.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing public health crisis posed by climate change and the inadequacy of current infrastructure to handle extreme weather events.
Image source, Dan Kitwood / Getty Images Image caption, Bottled water stations were set up in Kent after the region experienced supply disruptions in May's hot weather
More than 2,700 people may have died from heat-related causes in England and Wales during the exceptionally hot weather in May and June, experts' estimates suggest.
The figure, from a team at Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is based on what's known about the dangers of extreme heat.
Most deaths will have occurred in the June heatwave, they say - the warmest June on record in England, when temperatures hit 37.7C (99.9F) at Lingwood, Norfolk, smashing the previous high of 35.6C set in 1957.
A rare red heat alert , external was issued for parts of England and Wales at the time, warning even healthy people of the significant risk to life.
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