On Thursday, during a severe sandstorm in various regions of Egypt; one individual died, and five others were injured due to the collapse of a billboard situated on the 6th October bridge in Cairo.
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According to official reports, several road accidents occurred across the country resulting in injuries; however, no casualties were documented.
According to the state-own newspaper Al-Ahram, the traffic authorities worked to “remove the wreckage of the billboard and restore the movement of traffic.”
Eman Shaker, head of the Remote Sensing Center of the Egyptian Meteorological Authority, the formation of a thermal depression in the western desert region caused the tempest that resulted in a multitude of road, port, and beach closures throughout the country.
“The storm led to a complete lack of vision in some places. The most affected areas were Cairo, Suez, Ismailia and the Sinai Peninsula,” said Shaker.
1 killed, 5 injured by billboard collapse as massive sandstorm hits Egypt s capitalhttps://t.co/tOIcSCjpMN pic.twitter.com/KhcPaiWtKT
— Kazinform (@kazinform_eng)
June 2, 2023
Shaker also explained that the occurrence of a thermal depression in the western desert area is often concomitant with the so called “Khamaseen wind,” which is characterized by hot, dry, and sandy atmospheric conditions and is typically observed in Egypt during spring.
According to Shaker, the current sandstorm and heat wave are expected to continue until Friday.
According to the Egypt’s health ministry, sandstorms cause, on a regular basis, respiratory issues to a great number of Cairo’s 20 million habitants.
