A devastating heatwave in Morocco has claimed the lives of at least 21 people within 24 hours in the central city of Beni Mellal, the health ministry announced on Thursday.

The meteorology department reported that soaring temperatures affected much of the North African country from Monday to Wednesday, with temperatures reaching a scorching 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit) 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 regional health directorate said in a statement.

The ministry has not confirmed if this is the highest recorded death toll from a heatwave in the country.

Despite the severe heat, Beni Mellal, located more than 200 kilometres (150 miles) southeast of Casablanca, was still experiencing temperatures of 43 degrees on Thursday.

Fortunately, temperatures are expected to drop in the coming days. In the tourism hotspot of Marrakesh, for instance, they are expected to decrease by 10 degrees on Sunday, according to the meteorology department.

Economic Impact

Morocco has been grappling with its sixth consecutive year of drought, exacerbated by record heat this past winter.

January was noted as the hottest since 1940, with temperatures approaching 37 degrees Celsius in some places.

The prolonged drought, coupled with rising temperatures, has severely impacted the country’s vital farm sector.

Water evaporation has reached a staggering 1.5 million cubic meters (53 million cubic feet) per day, Water Minister Nizar Baraka reported at the end of June.

The economic repercussions of this extreme weather are significant.

The High Commission for Planning revealed in May that the “labour market continues to suffer from the effects of the drought,” with the unemployment rate rising to 13.7 per cent in the first quarter, up from 12.9 per cent in the same period last year.

The agricultural sector alone has lost around 159,000 jobs.

Morocco’s highest recorded temperature, 50.4 degrees Celsius, was set in August last year in the coastal resort city of Agadir.

Globally, Monday was the hottest day ever recorded since measurements began in 1940, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation programme.

It has been predicted that daily records would continue to be broken this summer in the northern hemisphere, with the planet enduring a particularly long period of intense heat due to climate change.

Scientists have consistently linked climate change to more prolonged, stronger, and more frequent extreme weather events, including heatwaves.

The tragic events in Beni Mellal highlight the urgent need for global action to address climate change and protect vulnerable communities from its devastating effects.