With exhaustion as soaring temperatures and high humidity hit Cairo and other parts of Egypt, twenty-one people lost their lives and 66 others were hospitalised. According to the health ministry, the victims, who all died on Sunday, succumbed as temperatures soared as high as 47 degrees Celsius (117 Fahrenheit), in conditions made less bearable by elevated humidity levels. It was gathered that fifteen people died in Cairo, four in the Delta province of Qalibiya and two in Upper Egypt’s Qena province, the ministry stated in a statement. “Those who died, including seven women, were all aged over 60. “Sixty-six people were admitted to hospital after suffering from exhaustion, including 37, who are still under observation,” it added. The Ministry Spokesman, Hossam Ghaffar, while speaking on the incident, said there was a big rise in temperature compared with previous years, adding that the problem was the humidity, which affected people more. “Long exposure under the sun is a killer.” Meteorological officials confirmed that temperatures in the capital and some parts of the country were higher than average. “The temperature is higher by four to five degrees than what is usually seen, and the humidity is very high this month,” Waheed Soudi, Head of Analysis in the Egyptian Meteorological Authority told AFP. “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 the high 30s throughout Egypt, it is rare for humidity levels to remain elevated during excessively hot weather,” Soudi added.