Soaring summer temperatures in Europe and Central Asia are killing nearly 400 children a year according to new analysis of the latest available data by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released on Wednesday.
UNICEF revealed that 377 children died in 2021 based on data from 23 countries across the vast region.
Heat-related illnesses claimed the lives of half of those vulnerable youngsters in the first year of their lives.
“Around half of children across Europe and Central Asia – or 92 million children - are already exposed to frequent heatwaves in a region where temperatures are rising at the fastest rate globally,” Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia said.
