![Desert in Mauritania, August 2019 [Özkan Bilgin/Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/20190818_2_37801416_46872664-e1592564373268.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Nine people have died as temperatures in Mauritania reached over 40 degrees Celsius yesterday, local health authorities reported.
Nine residents of the town of Al-Maddah, in the north of the country, died, the Mauritanian News Agency (AMI) reported, quoting the chief doctor of the Aoujeft City Hospital, Mohamed Ghali, as saying that seven elderly people were among the dead
The health official demanded residents increase their liquid intake during this period, taking particular care of children and the elderly.
Large areas of Mauritania have experienced a heatwave over the past few days, with temperatures in some areas exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.