1 killed, 5 injured by billboard collapse as massive sandstorm hits Egypt's capital

Photo taken on June 1, 2023 shows billboards collapsed in a sandstorm in Cairo, Egypt. 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. (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.

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 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.

Photo taken on June 1, 2023 shows billboards collapsed in a sandstorm in Cairo, Egypt. 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. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Photo taken on June 1, 2023 shows billboards collapsed in a sandstorm in Cairo, Egypt. 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. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)