Brussels, July 3 (QNA) - Authorities in Belgium announced that the country's death rate rose by 39 percent during the week of the heatwave that swept across Europe last month.

In a statement, the Belgian authorities said that, according to preliminary data, Belgium recorded 1,222 excess deaths between Thursday, Jun. 18, and Monday, Jun. 29, representing an excess mortality rate of 39 percent.

Earlier today, France announced that deaths in the country increased by 30 percent between Jun. 22 and Jun. 28, with the increase reaching 62 percent in Paris alone, during the peak of the exceptional heatwave that affected the country.

Some parts of Europe recorded temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius at least once during the heatwave that lasted from Jun. 15 to Jun. 30. (QNA)