On Thursday, state media reported that one person was killed and five others were injured after a billboard fell on a highway as a result of a sandstorm that swept the Egyptian capital.
According to the government newspaper, Al-Ahram, the storm destroyed four cars on the 6th of October Road in central Cairo, home to about 20 million people.
The newspaper added that the traffic authorities worked to remove the wreckage of the billboard and were able to return traffic to normal.
Egypt is regularly hit by sandstorms during the spring, which cause respiratory problems, according to the Ministry of Health.
According to a statement issued by the authority in charge of the sea corridor, through which 10% of global maritime trade crosses, the authorities closed two ports on the Red Sea along the Suez Canal on Thursday “due to bad weather” and with winds exceeding 50 kilometers per hour and waves exceeding four meters high. meters.
Limited visibility due to a similar dust storm that hit Egypt in 2021 caused the detention of the giant container ship Ever Given, which ran aground in the Suez Canal, disrupting trade flows for nearly a week.
The Egyptian Ministry of Health recommended that residents wear masks and limit their movements.
