Egypt updates floods toll, 22 killed
Egyptian authorities have updated the death toll from recent floods which swept through parts of the country.
Health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said Sunday that 22 people were killed and 72 injured in flooding which struck on Thursday and affected areas in the southern province of Sohag, in South Sinai and along the Red Sea coast.
Egypt had released an earlier toll of 18 people for the flooding which was caused by torrential rains. Megahed said, however, that the toll could rise as some families may have buried their dead relatives without reporting them to the authorities.
The government in Cairo has announced an aid package worth around USD 5.6 million. However, protests have erupted in several areas with flood-hit people saying they are not satisfied with the response.
Angry people on Saturday blocked a convoy transporting Prime Minister Sharif Ismail in Ras Gharib, the area worst hit in the flooding which is located near the mouth of the Gulf of Suez. An updated death toll showed that 10 people were killed and 32 people injured during the floods in the area. Heavy damage was also reported to houses in the coastal town where heavy rain and floodwaters inundated the streets and left some vehicle fully submerged.
That was also the case in Sohag, where six died while traveling on a bus on a flooded road when their vehicle was overturned by fast-flowing water.
Annual flooding is common during Egypt’s autumn and winter seasons and torrential rains normally cause damage, especially in areas with poor infrastructure.
At least 270 people were killed in the country’s worst ever such flooding in November 1994. All the dead in that flooding were residents of a village in Assyut Province.
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