Germany has recorded an estimated 15,800 deaths linked to high temperatures this year, a figure significantly higher than in any of the past 10 years, according to the Berlin-based Robert Koch Institute. The national public health agency released the estimate on Thursday in its latest weekly report covering the period from April 6 to August 16.

The institute linked about 9,600 deaths to an intense heatwave in late June and roughly 4,000 deaths to unusually high temperatures during the first two weeks of August. It said the current estimate is comparatively conservative, meaning the actual number of heat-related deaths this year could be higher.

Heat exposure can directly cause death in cases such as heatstroke, RKI said, but in most cases it combines with pre-existing health conditions. Medical director Uwe Janssens said many such deaths are not recorded as heat-related because death certificates may cite causes such as organ failure. More than half of the deaths, about 7,960, involved people aged 85 or older. Women accounted for more deaths than men, partly because women outnumber men among older people.