Death toll from heavy rains, flooding in Egypt rises to 11

Egyptian authorities say the death toll from heavy rains that pummeled the capital of Cairo and other parts of the country this week has risen to 11.

That’s according to updated statements released today by police departments and hospitals in provinces that were most affected by the downpours.

Most of the casualties, which include at least four children, died from electrocution by power cables that got submerged in floodwaters.

Flooding in Egypt #Newsnight #Newsfile #NewsZERO #NewsAlert #News1st #news #Egyptian #Egypt #flooding #flooding #floods #Weather #WeatherUpdate #WeatherForecast #WeatherReport #WeatheringWithYou #WeatherSeries #Africa #African #africaunite pic.twitter.com/z3OtD8Qg72

— codedtestament (@codedtestament1) October 22, 2019

The downpours and the flooding, which started on Tuesday, also caused massive traffic jams in Cairo, and prompted authorities to close schools and universities in the Greater Cairo area on Wednesday. They reopened the following day.

The mayhem has elicited public outrage as it exposed the country’s poor infrastructure and dilapidated sewage and drainage systems after years of poor maintenance.

— AP