BERLIN, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Around 14,000 people have died from heat-related causes in Germany since the beginning of the year as of Aug. 9, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country's leading public health authority, said Thursday.
The figure corresponds to nearly 17 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the RKI's latest report on heat-related mortality.
The number of heat-related deaths recorded so far this year has already surpassed the total for any previous full year. The previous record was set in 2018, when approximately 9,000 heat-related deaths were recorded, German news agency dpa reported.
The RKI said the estimated number of heat-related deaths in Germany this year has continued to rise.
Heat waves pose particularly high risks to older people, with heat-related excess mortality rising sharply among those aged 75 and above. Nearly 10,500 of the heat-related deaths recorded so far this year were among people in this age group. ■