Nationwide heat wave leaves 21 people dead, 66 injured

21 people have died and 66 others have suffered from heat-related injuries from an intense heat wave that has swept across the country in the last few days, the Health Ministry said in an official statement Monday.

Cairo alone witnessed 15 deaths and 40 injuries, with the rest of the casualties in Qalyubia, Daqahlia, Marsa Matrouh, the Red Sea, Assuit, Sohag, Luxor and Qena.

The ministry urged elderly citizens and those with chronic illnesses, like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems, to avoid direct exposure to the sun. The ministry explained that infants, children, the elderly, and patients diagnosed with chronic diseases are most at risk in such serious weather conditions.

Egypt‘s weather has been witnessing major temperature hikes in recent years, with extreme heat in summer months and markedly colder winters. In the last two years, Egypt witnessed winter snowfall for the first time in some parts of Cairo, Sinai and certain coastal cities. Social media users, taken by surprise by the unprecedented event, uploaded photos of the snow in many places arounds the country.

The current heat wave is part of a scorching "heat dome" over the Middle East, which has caused temperatures in Iran to climb upward of 70C on the heat index, one of the highest ever recorded. In Iraq, the temperature has exceeded 50C, prompting the government to call for a national holiday. The alarming temperatures have been coupled with continued power cuts and water shortages across the country, and have led to the death of 52 children living in refugee camps in Erbil.

Similarly, in Egypt, the heat wave has been linked to mounting electricity cuts and severe water shortages in the countryside.