In pics: Heavy rains in Cairo throw normal life out of gear

CAIRO – 23 October 2019: Egypt was hit on Tuesday by heavy rains that lead to accumulating water on the streets of different governorates.

The official forecast authority warned of an unstable weather over the coming days, with heavy, thunder rains and a drop in temperature degrees.


Cairo streets covered in rain water - Mohamed el-Shahed/AFP

Cairo districts struggled on Tuesday as the heavy rains left the streets inundated, and standstill. People were stuck inside their cars for hours in traffic mayhem, some missed their flights, and school buses dropped kids very late at night as the rainwater threw the normal life out of gear.

Pictures of the flooded streets in different areas across Cairo overwhelmed social media, as people shared their struggle with the downpour, even after it came to halt, as main roads were covered in rainwater.

Known for their sense of humor, even in tackling crises, Egyptians made the heavy rains a subject for memes, satire, and criticism of the government’s unpreparedness to face this weather with a stronger infrastructure.

One of the hugely affected areas was Heliopolis, where some people were seen in rowing boats beside buses and cars inside the tunnels that were completely filled with water.


Streets covered in rain water - Picture via Funny Details Facebook page

Hashtags like: #Egypt_is_sinking and #Nasr_city_is_drowning were trending on social media, attracting many videos and pictures of the most affected districts of Cairo.

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A land subsidence measuring 150 meters in length, 30 meters in width and 30 meters in depth was reported in Cairo’s Ring Road, the most important freeway in Cairo, leading the authorities to temporarily close the road until they fix it.

A video circulated on social media of residents pulling out the body of young girl who was earlier announced dead of an electric shock in a flooded street in 10th of Ramadan district. She was not the only casualty, as later on Tuesday a boy was killed for the same reason in Menoufia governorate.


Cairo streets covered in rain water - Mohamed el-Shahed/AFP

As the unstable weather is expected to continue into the coming week, with heavier rains to fall in Cairo until Friday, the government announced Wednesday off for universities and schools.

Vacuum trucks were deployed across Cairo to clear the roads of rainwater.