CAIRO, Aug 10 (Aswat Masriya) - Three patients at the Khanka Psychiatric Hospital died on Monday due to a recent rise in temperature, said a security official at the Qaliyubia security directorate.

Fifteen other patients were transferred to other hospitals in light of the heat, the official said. He added that a fact-finding committee will be formed to look into the incident and its causes.

Egypt has been hit by brutal heat this summer, especially in the past few weeks.

The temperature peaked to 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Farenheit) in the capital Cairo on Sunday. 

Twenty-one senior citizens died in Egypt as a result of Sunday's heat while 66 experienced stress, the Health Ministry said on Monday. 

The majority of the people who died because of Sunday's heat were in Cairo, where 15 people died, the ministry said. The rest were in Matruh, which borders Libya and Qena in Upper Egypt.   

The ministry called on citizens, especially the elderly, people with chronic disease or special needs and children, to avoid direct exposure to sunlight, particularly at noon, in an emailed statement.