A farmer cools off himself during a hot weather day in Egypt (Photo: Al-Ahram)
Five people in different Egyptian governorates died Friday as a result of harsh temperatures, raising the heatwave’s death toll this week to 92, according to a statement published by the health ministry.
On Friday, 191 people were sent to hospitals in the governorates of Assuit, Aswan, Al-Minya, Alexandria, Al-Ismailiya, Luxor, Al-Sharqiya, and Fayoum.
Four of the five people who died were senior citizens, but one was a 26-year-old woman who may have been more susceptible to the intense heat as she had previously suffered from a brain tumor.
August is normally a hot month in Egypt, but temperatures have been higher than average over the past few days, soaring to 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit) in Upper Egypt governorates and 40 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) in Cairo.
According to Egypt’s Meteorological Authority, the current heat wave will end by 20 August.
The Ministry of Health advises the elderly, the sick, and children to avoid direct exposure to the sun, as they are the most vulnerable to sunstroke.
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