Photo taken on June 1, 2023 shows a collapsed billboard after a massive sandstorm hit Cairo, Egypt. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
CAIRO, June 1 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and five others were wounded in the Egyptian capital of Cairo as a massive sandstorm hit several parts of Egypt on Thursday.
The casualties resulted from a billboard's collapse at the 6th October bridge in Cairo, according to local media reports.
Several road accidents were also reported nationwide, with some people wounded but no fatalities, said the reports.
A car runs past collapsed billboards after a massive sandstorm hit Cairo, Egypt, on June 1, 2023. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
The storm, which led to the closure of many roads, ports and beaches nationwide, was caused by the formation of a thermal depression in the western desert area, said Eman Shaker, head of the Remote Sensing Center of the Egyptian Meteorological Authority.
"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.
The photo taken on June 1, 2023 shows buildings shrouded in heavy dust during a sandstorm in Cairo, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
The thermal depression formed in the western desert area is usually accompanied by the so-called "Khamaseen wind," a dry, hot and sandy wind that usually blows in Egypt in spring, she explained.
The current sandstorm and heat wave are expected to continue till Friday, Shaker added.
The photo taken on June 1, 2023 shows buildings shrouded in heavy dust during a sandstorm in Cairo, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
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