A heatwave in Morocco has killed at least 21 people in 24 hours in the central city of Beni Mellal, the health ministry said.
The meteorology department said high temperatures hit much of the North African country from Monday to Wednesday, reaching 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit) in some areas. In Beni Mellal, “most of the deaths were among people with chronic diseases and the elderly, with the high temperatures contributing to the deterioration of their health conditions,” the regional health directorate said.
In Beni Mellal, more than 200 kilometers southeast of Casablanca, temperatures hit 43 degrees on Thursday. The meteorology department said temperatures were expected to drop in the coming days. In the tourist city of Marrakesh, temperatures were expected to drop by 10 degrees on Sunday. Morocco’s record high temperature of 50.4 degrees was set in August last year in the coastal city of Agadir.
Morocco suffered its sixth consecutive year of drought and record heat last winter, with January the hottest since 1940, according to the meteorology department, which recorded temperatures close to 37°C in some places.
Rising temperatures and prolonged drought, which have depleted reserve levels, pose a threat to the vital agricultural sector.