Massive sandstorm causes billboard collapse in Cairo, 1 dead

Cairo, June 2 (IANS) One person was killed and five others were injured after a billboard collapsed in Cairo amid a massive sandstorm that hit several parts of Egypt.

The incident occurred on Thursday at the 6th October bridge in the capital city, Xinhua news agency quoted local media reports as saying.

Several road accidents were also reported nationwide, with some people wounded but no fatalities, said the reports.

The sandstorm, 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.

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