21 dead as Egypt temperatures soar

CAIRO :   Twenty -one people have died and
66 others were hospitalised with exhaustion
as soaring temperatures and high humidity
hit Cairo and other parts of Egypt the health
ministry said Monday'

The victims  who all died on Sunday ,succumbed
as temperatures soared as high as 47 degrees
Celsius 117 Farhrenheit in conditions made less
bearable by elevated humidity levels

Fifteen people died in Cairo four in the Delta
province of Qalibiya and  two in Upper Egypt
"s Qena province ,the minsitry said in a statement
.Those who died including seven women,were
alleged over 60.

Sixty -six people were admmitted to hospital
after suffering from exhaustion including
who are still under sbservation,it added.
"There is a big rise temperature compared
with previous years ,But the problem is the
humidity which affecting  people more "said
ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel Gaffar..

"Long exposure under the sun is a killer..
Metrological officias confirmed thet temperatures
in the capital and some parts of the country
were higher then average

The peak temperature in the shade was 38
degrees Celsius in Cairo on Sunday which
means it was 47 degrees under the sun or in
places with bad ventilation.."

Although it is not uncommon to see summer
temperatures in high 30s throughout Egypt
it is rare for humidity levels to remain elevated
during excessively hot weather AFP