{
  "id": 15689735,
  "title": "Heat deaths doubled in Belgium during the June 2026 heat wave",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/heat-deaths-doubled-in-belgium-during-the-june-2026-heat-wave",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-20T03:00:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-deaths-belgium-june.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Heat-related deaths in Belgium spiked dramatically during a scorching June 2026 heat wave, with the toll more than doubling compared to previous years, according to a rapid attribution study by researchers at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). The intense temperatures, exacerbated by climate change, claimed the lives of 1,181 Belgians, with 665 (56%) fatalities directly linked to the extreme heat caused by human-induced climate change, making this the deadliest heat wave on record for the country.",
  "summary": "A new rapid attribution study by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) finds that human-induced climate change made the June 2026 heat wave in Belgium 3.9°C hotter and more than doubled the number of heat-related deaths. Of the estimated 1,181 deaths statistically linked to the extreme temperatures recorded between June 17 and 28, 2026, 665—or 56%—would not have occurred without anthropogenic climate…",
  "key_points": [
    "Heat deaths in Belgium doubled to 1,181 in June 2026 heat wave",
    "56% of fatalities directly linked to extreme heat from human-induced climate change",
    "VUB researchers attribute spike to climate change in rapid attribution study"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}