Paris mortuaries hit capacity as heat wave causes surge in deaths

Paris mortuaries are at full capacity as a historic heat wave has driven a sharp rise in deaths, particularly among seniors. Zouhaeir Hertelli, who runs a private mortuary near Orly airport, said all 32 slots in his refrigerated unit are occupied and he is repeatedly forced to refuse new cases.

Public Health France reported over 1,200 deaths on the hottest day of the week, with daily totals climbing to around 1,400 on subsequent days, far above the pre-heat-wave average of 900-1,000. The agency estimates at least 1,000 additional heat-related deaths during the three-day peak and expects the figure to rise as more certificates are processed.

Eighty-five percent of the recorded fatalities involved people aged 65 or older, and deaths at home rose about 40 percent, especially in the Paris region. City officials have added two temporary storage units with 20 spaces each and secured 50 extra slots in hospitals, but funeral directors report transporting bodies to locations as far as Chartres, 80 km away. Hertelli has requested permission to place refrigerated containers outside his facility but has not yet received approval.

Véronique Bertrand, a Paris funeral director, warned that many of the victims lived alone and that the community’s vigilance, which increased after the 2003 heat wave, may have waned. She urged renewed solidarity to check on isolated residents during extreme temperatures.