Brussels:Blistering record heat in Europe this summer has been linked to more than 50,000 deaths, according to a new study.

According to Wam, researchers conducted a study modeling heat-related deaths across different age groups in 854 European cities during heat waves in June, July, and August. The study, published in an upcoming issue of Nature Health, found that 50,391 people succumbed to warmer temperatures. Of these, 32,619 deaths were attributed to the additional heat generated by the burning of coal, oil, and gas.

The study revealed that this summer's death toll is 71 percent higher than the previous deadliest summer, which recorded 29,480 deaths in 2022. The researchers, who had earlier tracked yearly summer heat-related deaths in these European cities, indicated that the figures for this summer are likely underestimates. This is because the study did not account for a deadly heat wave in May and only included data from the 854 cities, which represent about 40 percent of Europe's population.