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While the national focus has understandably been on the sharp 57% rise in heat-related deaths across Spain this July, the Region of Murcia is quietly facing its own deadly consequences. According to figures from the Daily Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo) of the Carlos III Health Institute, six people in Murcia have died from heat-related causes since June 1.

 

These deaths are officially classified as “attributable to temperature” by the Ministry of Health. The same system recorded eight deaths due to extreme heat in Murcia during the summer of 2024.

 

Between June 1 and August 5, 2025, MoMo identified six cases of excess mortality caused by extreme temperatures in the Region of Murcia. The agency began tracking seasonal summer deaths from May 15 and by early August it had recorded 2,530 total deaths in the Region.

 

Out of this total, ten were classified as excess deaths from all causes and six were specifically linked to heat.

 

The pattern in Murcia mirrors the frightening trend seen across Spain this summer, where 1,060 people died in July alone due to extreme heat - a dramatic increase from 674 deaths in July 2024.

 

In all, a total of 1,504 heat-related deaths have already occurred nationwide this summer, and we have not yet reached the end of the hottest period.

 

Ironically, while July 2025 was the seventh warmest in the last 65 years, it was also the wettest in the past four decades.

 

Experts continue to warn that persistent heat puts tremendous strain on the body, especially for older adults and those with chronic health issues such as diabetes, hypertension or heart and lung disease.

 

When temperatures remain high for days or weeks on end, the body’s ability to regulate itself can fail. This leads to a condition known as decompensation, where the internal balance of temperature control breaks down. If this stress continues, it can result in multiple organ failure and ultimately death.

 

According to the experts at the Carlos III Health Institute, the risk does not always come in the form of obvious heatstroke. Many deaths are indirectly caused by heat, as it worsens pre-existing health problems.

 

As the Aemet warned earlier this summer, “heat is a silent threat that causes thousands of victims every year, who are not direct victims of heat stroke, but rather indirect victims due to the worsening of previous pathologies.”

 

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