France, Sept. 17 -- Rising heat driven by climate change caused an estimated 16,500 deaths in European cities this summer, researchers said Wednesday.

The study, led by scientists from Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, used climate modelling to estimate the impact of global warming between June and August.

They analysed 854 cities, representing almost one-third of Europe's population. Global warming made average temperatures 2.2C hotter, the team found.

Based on historical data about how extreme heat drives up mortality, they estimated around 24,400 excess deaths during the three-month period. Nearly 70 percent of those - about 16,500 - were attributed to human-caused climate change.

"The ...