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Heatwave Kills 12,000
By Kim Housego
The Age
Sunday 24 August 2003
Europe's relentless heatwave has officially killed 2000 people in countries outside France but in France, the record temperatures are thought to have killed about 10,000 people, officials say.
Italy, which previously refused to release figures, has now agreed to investigate its toll, bowing to a public outcry over increased deaths.
The Associated Press compiled death tolls and estimates in 18 countries. The highest official estimates come from Portugal, with 1300 deaths, and the Netherlands, with 500 to 1000.
In Italy, city authorities reported unusually large numbers of deaths in August compared with last year. But Europe is divided over how to go about the politically sensitive task of tallying heat deaths, with some health officials dismissive of France's10,000-victim estimate.
The French compared mortality rates this summer to last and attributed the difference to the heat. Some believe that if the same simple method is applied in Spain and Italy, their death tolls will soar.
The Italian health ministry previously insisted it was virtually impossible to establish a clear link between deaths and high temperatures. But yesterday it promised an investigation, under pressure from advocacy groups shocked by media reports that said death rates rose dramatically early this month.
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