Billboard collapse kills one, injures five during Egypt sandstorm

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.

The storm "crushed" four vehicles on the October 6 motorway in the centre of Cairo, home to a population of 20 million people, according to the state flagship paper Al-Ahram.

Traffic authorities worked to "remove the wreckage of the billboard and restore the movement of traffic", the newspaper added.

مشاهد العاصفة الترابية في مصر وسقوط لوحة إعلانات ضخمة على كوبري أكتوبر صعبة ومروعة

ربنا يحفظ أهلنا في مصر ويسلمهم من كل سوء وتمر هذه العاصفة على خير سريعا#العاصفة_الترابية pic.twitter.com/6HpNaXiEbq

— Osama Gaweesh (@osgaweesh) June 1, 2023

Sandstorms regularly pummel Egypt during the spring, causing respiratory issues, according to the health ministry.

Authorities closed two ports along the Suez Canal on Thursday "due to 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.