These europeans that died were weaklings. This "cold spell" was nothing compared to what winters are like in my little northern corner of europe. As soon as the temperature drops below freezing, all the southern europeans think the world is coming to an end.
Cold weather has always been known to be a life-safety issue. Hot weather is not a life-safety issue.
A few years ago there was a heat wave in the northern US that killed several people. Heat can kill too.