Torrential rains on Thursday pummeled several parts of Egypt, forcing most people in the country of 100 million to stay at home.
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The government closed educational institutions nationwide and gave all employees Thursday as off day due to the erratic weather that the state meteorological office said would continue until Saturday.
Fridays and Saturdays are the weekend in Egypt.
Rain-soaked streets in the often traffic-clogged capital Cairo and was virtually empty on Thursday as authorities advised people across the country not to go out except necessary.
According to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, weather conditions are unstable. Therefore, nobody should go out of his or her house.
“All state officials are on maximum alert to handle the situation,” he said.
The Egyptian State Television reported that 20 of Egypt’s 27 provinces on Thursday experienced rainfall ranging from light to heavy.
It also reported that the rainfall and high-speed winds forced the closure of several highways.
According to private Egyptian Newspaper, al-Masri al-Youm, six people from one family were injured after a palm tree fell on a taxi they were traveling in, in the Southern province of Sohag.
The Cairo underground system operator said that the main mode of transportation in the megacity briefly broke down due to a technical problem caused by heavy rain that hit the city.