Beirut: A sandstorm, strong winds and lashing rains swept across the Middle East on Sunday killing four people — three in Egypt and a woman in Lebanon.
The storm closed several ports and disrupted traffic in the Suez Canal while at least three people died in a textile factory collapse in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria in Egypt, officials said.
In pictures: Cold wave hits the Middle East
Weather in the UAE, region and around the world
Authorities said steady rain appeared to play a role in the collapse of the six-storey factory. As many as 40 people were trapped under the rubble, a security official said, warning that the casualty figure could rise.
The storm, which caused temperatures to plunge to below freezing in some places, ended weeks of unseasonably warm and dry weather across the region that caused dozens of forest fires in Lebanon and helped feed a massive blaze in Israel that destroyed thousands of hectares of forest.
It whipped up sandstorms in Egypt and Jordan, and in the Syrian capital of Damascus, snow blanketed the streets for first time this winter. Schools sent students home early and children ventured outside to play.
Port closure
Heavy rain and strong winds battered cities along the Mediterranean coast. Syrian authorities closed their main port of Tartous, while Egypt shut down the port of Alexandria — the country's largest — as well as another in Nuweiba.
Off the Israeli coast, a Moldovan cargo ship sank in stormy weather on Sunday about 11 kilometres near the port city of Ashdod.
An official from Israel's shipping and ports authority, Yigal Maor, said the vessel's 11-member crew scrambled onto lifeboats and was rescued by a nearby Taiwanese ship.
He told Israel Radio that high waves and winds complicated the rescue operation.
Israel Radio said the ship had a Ukrainian flag and was reportedly carrying a shipment of steel.
In Lebanon, heavy rains flooded the streets in Beirut and snow forced some road closures in remote mountain towns. A woman died Saturday night when an uprooted tree fell on her car in the northern port city of Tripoli, authorities said.
