France recorded at least 5,700 more deaths than usual during a historic heat wave last month, the public health agency said Wednesday, sharply increasing its estimates of the feared toll from record-s

France experienced at least 5,700 more deaths than usual during a historic heat wave last month, according to the public health agency.

Between June 22 and July 5, during an extreme heatwave that triggered the Netherlands’ first-ever code red weather alarm for heat, 911 more people died than normal, the RIVM reported on Wednesday. The exact causes of death are unknown, but the public health institute considers it “very likely” that the wheat played a role.