Image copyright Shahba Dawn Shahba Dawn
Three people are dead and dozens injured in a “huge” storm in Egypt after the powerful weather phenomenon created swarms of scorpions in homes.
Calls have come in from poor areas in Cairo and Minya provinces of several scorpions emerging in homes.
Around 1,000 households in the cities of Minya and Assiut have been evacuated and hundreds of homes have been damaged by flying objects, including light bulbs, pieces of furniture and broken car parts.
Residents have set fire to parked cars to block weather-induced surges.
Egypt’s health ministry said about 70 people were treated for scorpion bites in Minya and 16 in Cairo.
One person, identified only as Karim Al-Ansari, died after falling from a building and being bitten by a scorpion, medics said.
Storm-related deaths are rare in Egypt because of the country’s well-developed emergency management.
The area most at risk is between Cairo and Cairo-Maspero, the main airport.
Image copyright Shahba Dawn
The storm was due to last until Saturday evening and some parts of the country may see dust clouds rise up into the sky.
Weather in Cairo was quite extreme on Friday morning, with many people coming home from work to find large sheets of water droplets floating down the streets.
Residents were asked to turn off their mobile phones, cameras and refrigerators.