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Egyptian governor quits after deadly floods kill several

A man is seen commuting across the flooded streets of Alexandria on October 25, 2015. (Egyptian Streets)

Hani al-Messirial-Messiri, the governor of Alexandria, has resigned after floods killed at least seven people in the Egyptian northern city.

State television revealed Sunday that Prime Minister Sherif Ismail accepted the resignation of the governor of Alexandria.

Hours before his resignation, Messiri called the situation in Alexandria an "environmental catastrophe," according to the state-run al-Ahram Arabic news website.

His resignation followed calls by critics and activists on the social media for him to step down, further accusing him of failing to renovate the city's old drainage system.

The city of Alexandria was flooded due to heavy rain that hit the city Sunday morning.

Heavy rains paralyzed traffic and electricity was out in many districts of the city, causing panic among the citizens of the country’s second largest city.

Citizens including business owners reported heavy damage caused by the extreme rainy weather.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi called for an emergency meeting with his cabinet to assess the damage from the floods on Monday.

El-Sisi called on the government to provide the care needed to the families affected by the heavy rains. 

He has also ordered compensation for the families who have lost loved ones to the floods.

The floods have sparked outrage among angry citizens against the government arguing that the current military-backed administration has not started to pay enough attention to decades-old problems, and failed to prepare for the rainy season. 

Alexandria receives heavy rains during this time of year. Last year, floods wreaked havoc in the city for several days.

The city, according to government data, has not undergone any infrastructure development projects for the past 15 years.

 


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