France, May 29 -- Diesel engines fitted with illegal software to cheat pollution tests have caused 16,000 deaths in France since 2009, according to the first study to calculate the human cost of the "Dieselgate" scandal that exposed widespread fraud by car manufacturers.

The research comes from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), an independent group based in Finland.

It warns that another 8,000 preventable deaths could occur in France by 2040 if the affected vehicles remain on the road.

The study, published Wednesday, estimates the scandal will cost France €146 billion in healthcare, lost productivity and early deaths.

Across Europe, including Britain, CREA projects 205,000 premature deaths linked to the exc...