Holocaust of the elderly: death toll in French heatwave rises to 10,000By John Lichfield in Paris 22 August 2003 The summer of 2003 will be remembered as the year of the holocaust of the French elderly. France was reeling yesterday from figures that suggested some 10,000 people - mostly over the age of 75 - were killed by this month's heatwave, double the previous estimate. As a political storm raged over blame for the deaths, President Jacques Chirac called an emergency cabinet meeting and promised an inquiry to examine "with complete openness" the failings of the health and welfare system....