UK tourists in Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza 'warned' after 190 deaths across islands

190 people have died from heat-related conditions in the Balearic Islands this summer, UK tourists have been warned. Holidaymakers jetting off to the European Union holiday destination have been warned over the rising threat of death from scorching temperatures.

One of the researchers, Dominic Royé, explained that their figures are based on daily mortality data (MOMO) and met agency temperatures. An application they have developed, Heat-Attributable Mortality in Spain, is "a state-of-the-art statistical model widely used in environmental health studies".

Royé says that, in coming years, one in five heat-related deaths could be attributed to an ageing population. MOMO provides an estimate of the deaths that have occurred due to high temperatures. This is based on excess mortality figures. In this respect, there have been 19 deaths in the Balearics so far this year.

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But the researchers believe that the extreme heat threshold of 35C for making this estimate is too high. Royé points out that Aemet and the health ministry issue warnings for heat wave conditions but believes that the public need to be made more aware of recommendations that are only ever issued for extreme heat events.

"Perhaps more education on the dangers of exposure to the Sun, should be made available," one Brit warned. If global heating reaches a catastrophic 3C or 4C, the researchers concluded, the rise in heat deaths will greatly outstrip the fall in cold deaths.

The researchers said the results suggested climate change could pose “unprecedented challenges” to public health systems, particularly during heatwaves. “Many more heat-related deaths are expected to occur as the climate warms and populations age, while deaths from cold decline only slightly,” said David García-León from the Joint Research Centre at the European Commission, a co-author of the study.

“This research is a stark reminder of the number of lives that we are putting at risk if we fail to act quickly enough against climate change,” said Madeleine Thomson, the head of climate impacts and adaptation at the health research charity Wellcome, who was not involved in the study.