Prime Minister Sherif Ismail headed to Alexandria following a presidential order to assess the damages of an unfolding weather crisis, and provide support to the families of people who died from extensive flooding of rain water Sunday morning.
Five people died, according to health ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed, including children and a horse from rain water that flooded streets, homes, cars and hospitals. Roads and train stations, as well as the main Corniche Street, were flooded from excessive rain.
Staggering pictures of people drowning were circulated by Alexandria residents on social media platforms with the hash tag ‘Alexandria Drowns’.
The photos included two children lying on the pavement dead after they were electrocuted by a fallen electricity cable while crossing the street. Photos of a police station and a hospital were also taken in which they can be seen surrounded by water, indicating that the number of casualties could be higher as a result.
The number of deaths due to weather conditions in Egypt this year increased significantly. In August, at least 100 people died from nationwide heat wave, according to health ministry reports.
On Saturday, the general authority for monitoring weather forecasts in Egypt warned of a sharp decrease in temperature accompanied by rainfall.
Weather turbulence commonly causes traffic congestion and minor flooding in winter every year; however, flooding from rainfall increases in coastal cities.
Cities in Upper Egypt are also suffering from electricity black out after a fire broke out in a boat near the high dam in Aswan, state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported.
A local journalist from Naga’a Hamady, Qena, told Daily News Egypt electricity returned in the city but there are other cities without electricity. He further said a fishing boat burned down damaging the main power station in Naga’a Hamady. No casualties were reported.
Initial investigations believe that a Kerosene flammable substance from the burning boat was the main cause of the blackout.
