During the first two weeks of August, 75 people died in the Canary Islands as a result of the heat. Over the summer as a whole, the Canary Islands‘ daily monitoring system (MoMo) recorded 85 heat-related deaths.
The extreme heat was particularly concentrated on the two central Canary Islands, Gran Canaria and Tenerife. The capital cities of both islands give their names to the respective provinces. In this analysis, the figures are similar.
In the eastern Canary Islands, which form part of the province of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 44 deaths were recorded as a result of the extreme heat. In the west of the Canary Islands, in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the figure was 41. This represents a significant rise in the numbers:
Canary Islands heatwave leads to 75 deaths in August alone
In the same period last year, there were 51 deaths due to extreme heat. This represents an increase of more than 66 per cent. Between 8 and 19 July, one person is reported to have died every day as a result of the effects of extreme heat.
On 2 August, the heatwave reached its peak so far in the Canary Islands, with temperatures exceeding 44 degrees Celsius in some areas. A week later, the thermometers were rising again. According to MoMo, nine more people lost their lives on that day alone.
In each of the two previous years, 22 and 23 heat-related deaths were recorded throughout the month of August. This means that, after just two weeks, the figure for this month is already around three and a half times that. For the whole of last year, the authorities estimated the total number in the Canary Islands to be 129.
Older people particularly affected by the heatwave in the Canary Islands
Forty-four of the heat-related fatalities in the Canary Islands were aged 85 or over, whilst a further 19 were aged between 75 and 85. Ten others were in the over-65 age group, and a further five were aged 45 and over. There were also two heat-related deaths among those aged between 14 and 44. Of those affected, 51 were women and 24 were men.
According to the Canary Islands Health Authority, people with pre-existing conditions are often affected. The heat then exacerbates other symptoms. However, prolonged exposure to excessive heat can also lead directly to death. This was demonstrated particularly tragically by a case on Fuerteventura, in which a toddler died after suffering heatstroke.
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