Swallowing cargo ships: Large sandstorms envelop Egypt

A sandstorm caused terrifying scenes in Egypt last week with huge walls of sand and dust piled up and overrunning entire towns.

The violent sandstorm swept across parts of Egypt on Thursday, including capital Cairo. The strong winds caused a billboard to fall onto a busy street. One person was killed, five others injured.

Two ports on the Red Sea had to be temporarily closed because of the sandstorm. These are located at the southern end of the Suez Canal, the most important shipping route to the Arab region.

Videos on social media show cargo ships on the Suez Canal being swallowed up by a huge wall of dust and sand.

A low-pressure area over Libya and Egypt was responsible for the storm. The WindRadar shows how gale force winds hit Egypt on Thursday.

This whirled up large amounts of sand and dust over the desert area and moved them into the densely populated areas in the north-east of the country.

Desert winds, usually associated with sandstorms, are called khamsin in the region. Khamsin blows most frequently in spring and autumn, given the right weather conditions.

The desert wind is dangerous, mainly because of the poor air quality. Elderly and weakened people in particular can suffer from severe respiratory problems.