CAIRO: At least 31 people were killed during the wave of rain and sandstorms that battered Egypt over the weekend. The deadliest single incident was the collapse of a textile factory on Sunday, leaving 11 dead and 10 injured. Around 50 workers were inside the six-story textile factory located in Moharram Bek, east of Alexandria, when it collapsed due in part to torrential rains. The civil defense team continues their efforts to rescue the remaining victims. Adel Labib, governor of Alexandria, said he plans to allocate 10,000 Egyptian pounds (US $1,700) to the families of the victims, as well as financial compensation to those injured. Building collapses and road accidents killed at least 31 people and injured dozens more across Egypt, state media reported on Monday. Sandstorms, rain and wind have battered the country, with northern areas among the worst hit. At least 10 ports on the Red Sea and Mediterranean were closed as a result. Salah Hesham of the Red Sea Port Authority said officials decided on Monday to reopen eight ports on the Red Sea after relative improvement in weather conditions. Two ports on the Mediterranean were still closed on Monday, officials said. One child was killed and nine people injured when a five-story residential building collapsed in the Nile delta city of Tanta. Twenty people were killed and more than 40 injured in road accidents across Egypt, blamed on poor visibility from heavy rains and sandstorms, officials said. Meanwhile, an Italian cargo ship stranded off Egypt's northwestern coast had to be towed to safety on Monday. BM
