Please register to access this content.
To continue viewing the content you love, please sign in or create a new account
Dismiss
This content is for our paying subscribers only

World Mena

Billboard collapse kills one, injures five during Egypt sandstorm

The storm 'crushed' four vehicles on the October 6 motorway in the centre of Cairo



General view of buildings during a sandstorm in Cairo, Egypt.
Image Credit: Reuters

Cairo: One person was killed and five others were injured Thursday when a billboard collapsed in a major thoroughfare as a result of a sandstorm that swept through Egypt's capital, state media reported.

The storm "crushed" four vehicles on the October 6 motorway in the centre of Cairo, home to a population of 20 million people, according to the state flagship paper Al-Ahram.

Traffic authorities worked to "remove the wreckage of the billboard and restore the movement of traffic", the newspaper added.

also read

Sandstorms regularly pummel Egypt during the spring, causing respiratory issues, according to the health ministry.

Advertisement

Authorities closed two ports along the Suez Canal on Thursday "due to bad weather conditions", including intense winds and high waves accompanying the sandstorm.

Reduced visibility during a similar storm in 2021 led to the giant container ship Ever Given getting wedged diagonally across the Suez Canal, disrupting trade flows for nearly a week.

Egypt's roads are notoriously dangerous and badly maintained, and drivers often break speed limits and other traffic rules.

With a population of more than 105 million, Egypt is the Arab world's most populous country.

Advertisement