Bad weather over the last two days has led to road accidents, power cuts and fires that left three foreigners dead and three others injured in South Sinai. Three Egyptians were killed in Zeitoun and 38 injured in Minya and Gharbiya.
In Duweiqa, heavy rainfall caused an electric fire which burned three stories of a building and left 50 people homeless. The narrow streets in the area prevented the fire engines from putting out the fire.
In Giza, traffic was held up for four hours in the areas of Mariotiyya, Faisal, Haram, Giza Square, Mehwar, the ring road, and some roads leading to Giza and Cairo, as puddles of water formed in Giza tunnels.
In South Sinai, three crew members of an Italian cruise ship were killed, and another three tourists injured after the ship collided with the dock in Sharm el-Sheikh due to bad weather. The Italian ship reportedly crashed Friday at 3 AM, killing three crew members and injuring another three English tourists who were then transported to the Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital for treatment. Coast guards summoned special forces, civil protection forces and ambulances to help rescue the ship’s 1400 passengers.
Winds blowing at 25 knots per hour caused water to flood one of the ship’s cabins. This caused the ship to dip further underwater and collide with the dock upon departure. The cruise has been postponed until weather conditions improve and damages are repaired.
The South Sinai cities of Ras Sedr, Tor Sinai and Saint Catherine have been hit by heavy showers that cut off several roads.
In Minya, Nirmeen Maged Saad, 24, reportedly died and another 33 people were injured in road accidents caused by bad weather.
In Gharbiya, heavy rains blocked traffic and flooded streets leading to four road accidents.
In Daqahlia, heavy showers led to flooding in Mansoura and prolonged power cuts in some districts.
In Luxor, high winds and sand storms have delayed trips by speedboats, sailboats and ferries and interfered with flights. Twenty-four fires were also reported.
In Suez, navigation was disrupted in the Ports of Adabiya, Port Tawfik the Petroleum Dock, Ataka, and el-Zeiteyat due to raging waves and high winds blowing at 30 knots per hour.
In Damietta, fishing boats in Ezbet el-Borg did not leave the port for the second consecutive day.
In Aswan, sand storms reduced visibility, disrupted navigation in the Nile and traffic on the highways and knocked down trees.
In Port Said, Zerzara, an informal housing area was flooded with rain water, and fishing boats remained in the dock.
Finally, in Assiut, sand storms slowed down traffic for hours on highways, main streets and roads between cities and villages.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
