News Center- Climate change has led many countries to suffer from intense heat waves. A heatwave has killed at least 21 people at the Beni Mellal Regional Hospital Center in the last 24 hours, Morocco’s health ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The meteorology department said soaring temperatures affected much of the North African country from Monday to Wednesday, reaching 48 degrees Celsius in some areas.

“In Beni Mellal, the majority of deaths involved people suffering from chronic illnesses and the elderly, with high temperatures contributing to the deterioration of their health conditions,” the health ministry said, calling on citizens to take the necessary measures and consume more water.

Temperatures are expected to drop in the coming days, the meteorology department said. Morocco has suffered a sixth consecutive year of drought, and record heat this past winter with January the hottest since 1940, according to the meteorology department