The government of Iraq declared Thursday an official holiday, as the country faces a scorching heat wave, which exceeded 50 degrees Celsius in some provinces.
The heat wave comes as tens of thousands of Muslims across the country finish their last week of dawn-to-dusk fasting for the holy month of Ramadan.
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Officials announced the decision in a brief statement Wednesday, but it was not clear if the holiday would extend if temperatures do not fall. Meteorologists have warned that the heat could continue through the weekend in central and southern Iraq.
According to news reports, many homes in Iraq have also been experiencing major power and water cuts, making it hard to escape the discomforts of the heat, even indoors.
Iraq has been experiencing problems with its power grids since the 2003 United States-led invasion. Even though billions of dollars have been put into the industry, many Iraqis receive only up to eight hours of power per day, at the height of summer prohibiting them from accessing when fans or other cooling devices.
Extreme weather events, such as heat waves, have had devestating effects in India and Pakistan in recent weeks.
In late June, the death toll in Pakistan's devastating heat wave has shot past 1,000, making it the worst heat wave to hit the country's southern city of Karachi in at least 35 years.
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