Egypt’s heatwave claims one life in Fayoum, increasing death toll to 104

A 47-year-old man died in Egypt’s Fayoum on Tuesday due to heat exhaustion, raising the total death toll of the current heatwave in Egypt to 104, the health ministry said.

The patient was admitted to the Fayoum general hospital early Monday, but died on Tuesday.

“In total, 295 were hospitalised nationwide on Monday due to the persisting heatwave in Egypt,” the statement read.

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 the Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA), the temperature will decrease starting on Tuesday.

The EMA stated, however, that increased humidity will intensify the heat.

Temperatures in Cairo on Monday reached 37 degrees Celsius by midday, with humidity hovering above 47 percent. Temperatures are expected to drop to 26 degrees Celsius in the evening.

source:Ahram Online