Desert heat claims 40 lives
2003-07-21 15:43
Algiers - Sweltering heat in Algeria's Sahara desert region has killed 40 people since the beginning of the summer, news reports said on Monday.
All the victims lived in the central Adrar region of the country, about 1 500km south of Algiers.
Many succumbed to the extreme heat after frequent power cuts shut off the normal flow of drinking water, the daily El-Khabar said.
The entire north of Algeria including the capital Algiers has been in the grip of a debilitating heatwave in recent days with temperatures in the capital rising to a 42°.
Temperatures further south in the Sahara region have crept as high as 47°, according to meteorological reports.
Weather experts say the heatwave, fanned by hot southerly winds, should last until Wednesday before temperatures fall to more seasonal levels.
- AFX