Over 70 killed in Egypt heatwave

Web Admin

5 Dariya News

Cairo , 13 Aug 2015

With 15 more deaths reported due to a massive heatwave in Egypt, the toll has risen to 76, with 187 others being hospitalised, the health ministry said on Thursday.The deaths were reported on Wednesday, with six of them in the capital Cairo, the ministry added.The toll rose in five days due to the unprecedented heat, which was made increasingly unbearable by high levels of humidity, Al Ahram reported.The ministry has advised the elderly, the sick, and children -- the most vulnerable to sunstroke -- to avoid direct exposure to sun. According to meteorological department officials, 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 in the southern cities of Luxor and Aswan and 42 degrees in Cairo.The heat wave is expected to continue until the end of August.