WorldBelgium burns as silent heatwave deaths soar

Europe’s “summer that burned” has spread from Mediterranean mountains to northern forests, turning Belgium’s High Fens, known as the country’s “green lung,” into a smouldering wasteland. The deadliest effects of the heat are occurring away from fires, in care homes and apartments where vulnerable people die quietly. Europe recorded about 16,000 excess deaths in June, while Belgium’s mortality rose 48%.