Cristina Hodgson
A NEW study claims that Spain was the second country in Europe with the highest number of heat-related deaths in 2022.
According to a study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), published in the journal Nature Medicine, between May 30 and September 4 2022, more than 11,000 people died last summer due to high temperatures in Spain.
The country with the highest number of deaths attributable to heat throughout the summer of 2022 was Italy, with a total of 18,010 deaths, followed by Spain (11,324) and Germany (8,173).
The numbers in Spain reflect some 50% more deaths than in previous years and Malaga, with 313 heat-related deaths recorded last summer, was the second province in Andalucia with the highest number of deaths attributable to heat in the region, behind Sevilla, which recorded 376 deaths.
The provinces of Cordoba and Jaen accounted for 269 and 204 victims each.
On a national level, Malaga was the sixth Spanish province with the highest number of heat-related deaths in 2022, behind Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante and Sevilla.
The summer period of 2022 was the hottest ever recorded in Europe and was characterised by an intense series of record-breaking heatwaves, drought and forest fires.
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