Heavy rains in several provinces Monday led to the death of 17 people, destroying public property and a number of residences. Thunderstorms also resulted in electricity blackouts in several cities and led to the closure of numerous highways, seaports and airports.
The southern Sinai Peninsula witnessed torrential rains for the first time since 1994, resulting in the closure of five primary roads, the Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport and the Nuweiba seaport. Heavy rains destroyed dozens of homes in the village of Abu Soeira, where a local woman was reportedly killed and three others injured.
Electricity in the entire city of Sharm el-Sheikh was cut for several hours, including at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital, as a result of the bad weather. Dozens of shops in the local market were flooded, along with the entrances to hotels in the area. Ceilings collapsed in the passenger lounges of the old Sharm el-Sheikh airport, meanwhile, slightly wounding an Italian tourist.
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Flood victims protest govt incompetence
Victims of the heavy rains that flooded a number of cities and villages in North Sinai staged protests in Arish on Sunday against the government's failure to competently deal with the crisis. Protesters claimed that local Municipal Council President Gaber el-Arabi had threatened to arrest them if they continued to demonstrate.
Units from the armed forces continue to pump water from flooded villages. Nevertheless, many residents have been unable to obtain blankets from relief convoys because they were unable to show their national identification cards. "Why must I show my ID to get a blanket?" asked local resident and flood victim Rabab Mabrouk. "I lost it in the floods, along with all my other belongings."
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Protesters, police clash over Egypt flood aid
(Reuters) - Egyptian police fired teargas and rubber bullets on Wednesday at around 1,000 protesters in Sinai who accused the government of neglecting them after flash floods damaged their homes, witnesses said.
A security source said the demonstrators threw stones at police and blocked the road leading to the southern resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh from Ras Sedr, in South Sinai.
Relations between the government and Sinai, where there is a large Bedouin population, are often strained. The Bedouins complain of economic marginalisation, police harassment and limited access to jobs in the tourism and petroleum sectors.
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Rains disrupt High Dam power station
An official report presented to Electricity Minister Hassan Younis revealed that heavy rains in the southern city of Aswan in recent days had temporarily disrupted the Aswan High Dam's power station, with 81 high-tension cable towers collapsing as a result of strong winds causing damage estimated at more than LE70 million.
Meanwhile, in North Sinai, the Olympic Village in the city of Arish was hit by equally severe torrents, causing the collapse of a sports complex and the main entrance gate. The village, which cost LE90 million to build, had been initially opposed by the local council and the irrigation ministry. Nevertheless, the former governor had insisted on building it in its current location.
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Deadly showers continue in Sinai and Aswan
Heavy rain showers hit the town of Abu Zneima in South Sinai early on Friday. In the meantime, rain and floods continued in Aswan resulting in the death of a woman, after her house collapsed. In total, four people have died from the showers in Aswan and 1150 buildings have been destroyed.
Experts from the Government Fund for the Development of Informal Areas have warned residents and government officials about the impact of torrential rains, said Ali el-Faramawi, director of the fund. The governors in the disaster-prone areas were informed of the possibility last June.
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