A dramatic ending. The heat wave that has been plaguing Spain for almost ten days has caused the death of “more than 500 people”, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, said on Wednesday during a trip to Aragón, a region in the north of the country affected by the fire.

“During this heat wave, more than 500 people died from high temperatures, according to the data,” he said, referring to an estimate of excess mortality published by a public health institute.

One report puts the death toll at 679.

The Carlos III health institute goes further: this organization estimates that 679 deaths are directly attributable to this episode, according to the latest report released by Spanish public television.

Spain has just faced, from July 9 to 18, the most intense heat wave ever recorded in the country, according to preliminary data published this Wednesday by the National Meteorological Agency (Aemet). Extremely high temperatures, topping 45C, have fueled huge fires since last week across the country.