Sandstorm brings down billboard in Cairo, kills one and injures five
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Police and civil defence officers working to remove a collapsed billboard from a bridge in central Cairo on June 1.
PHOTO: AFP
CAIRO – One person was killed and five others were injured on Thursday when a billboard collapsed in a major thoroughfare as a result of a sandstorm that swept through Egypt’s capital, state media reported.
Four vehicles were crushed under the billboard on the October 6 motorway in the centre of Cairo, home to a population of 20 million people, according to the state flagship newspaper Al-Ahram.
The traffic authorities worked to “remove the wreckage of the billboard and restore the movement of traffic”, the newspaper added.
Sandstorms regularly pummel Egypt in spring, causing respiratory issues, according to the Health Ministry.
The authorities closed two ports along the Suez Canal on Thursday because of 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. AFP
