The high temperatures registered last summer in Spain, in which several records were broken, directly caused the death of more than 350 people and caused an increase of more than 26,000 fatalities, according to data published this Wednesday.
These data were revealed shortly before a second death among agricultural workers was known, linked to the current heat wave.
From May to August 2022, 157,580 deaths were registered, 26,849 (+20.5%) more than in the same period of 2019, the year that is taken as a reference due to the covid-19 pandemic, according to the National Institute of Statistics. (INE) Spanish in its report on the causes of mortality in the country last year.
The more than 26,000 additional deaths compared to 2019 are related to existing chronic pathologies, such as hypertension, diabetes or senile dementia, which increase the risk of death in very hot conditions.
The same data indicates that of the deaths registered in that period, there are 122 that were directly attributed to cases of heat stroke (against 47 in 2019) and 233 to cases of dehydration (against 109 in 2019).
The year 2022 was marked by a summer of high temperatures and devastating fires, having been the hottest ever recorded in Spain, according to the National Meteorological Agency (Aemet).
Spain, for its part, is facing the first heat wave of this summer, with thermometers that exceeded 44ºC this Monday in Andalusia and remained around 40ºC during the day today, which led to the Aemet to put several regions on alert.
In Andalusia, the region that is usually the most affected by heat waves, a 47-year-old man died this Saturday due to heat stroke.
According to information collected by the AFP from the regional authorities, the man suffered from some pathologies, having been overcome by the heat while working in the fields, in the municipality of Aznalcóllar.
This Monday, in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, a farmer also died of heat stroke while working in the vineyards of Cinco Casas, as the mayor of the town explained to Cadena Ser radio station.
In a message of condolence posted on Twitter, Francisco Martínez Arroio, elected head of Agriculture in the region’s government, called for “maximum protection” for workers in the agricultural sector in the context of this “terrible” heat wave.
According to Aemet’s first estimates, this Sunday “added to the list of high temperature records this year” and should become, after confirmation, “the twelfth record reached in 2023, even before the end of the first half “.
In 2022, record high temperatures were recorded in 35 days, which is almost one day in ten.
Source: TSF
