Rain hits northern Sinai, Sokhna road destroyed

Northern Sinai was hit with strong rains earlier on Thursday, accompanied by thunder, lighting, winds and a substantial decline in temperature. According to several newspapers this morning, roads and traffic were affected.

Privately owned daily newspaper Al-Masry al-Youm reported that several cities within the peninsula had experienced power cuts, and four major roads were closed in the Red Sea governorate. The security governorate issued a statement calling upon Red Sea citizens to abide by safety measures and stay out of danger during the storm.

Later in the afternoon, the general traffic directorate in the Red Sea governorate opened the Safaga/Qena road, Kosseir/ Keft, and Marsa/Edfo highways, but kept the Sheikh Fadl/Ras Ghareb road closed. The directorate dispatched service cars and traffic personnel on all highways to ensure the safety of vehicles and citizens, according to state owned EGYNews

Several activists on Twitter stated that heavy rains destroyed parts of the Ain Sokhna road. According to activist Ghada Shahbandar, the last part of the road is “damaged and dangerous.”

Actor Nabil al-Halafawy stated earlier that the Armed forces are working on cleaning the roads.

Activist Mona Seif is currently stuck in Ain Sokhna after the storm destroyed the resort she was staying in and drifted her car, according to her brother, activist Alaa Abd El Fattah. Seif is currently in an elevated chalet awaiting rescue.

Activist Nawara Negm wrote on her Twitter account that the storm had stopped, but that accumulated water from the mountain is still pouring down and has destroyed part of the road from Porto Sokhna to Cairo.