In a post on X, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus wrote Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, warming at twice the global average rate.

"Heat stress is often called the 'silent killer' – and European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for these temperatures."

"Right now 150 million people are living under ​extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling," he said.

"Driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the 'once-in-a-generation' heatwave is now occurring nearly annually. We were warned," the WHO chief wrote.