20 people were killed in Egypt due to bad weather and heavy rains in various parts of the country, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly confirmed in a statement on Friday.
"Egypt has not witnessed such weather conditions for nearly 35 or 40 years," Madbouly said in the statement published by the prime minister on its official page on Facebook.
He added, "These weather conditions resulted in about 20 deaths at the level of the Republic."
Madbouly instructed provincial officials to "grant tomorrow, Saturday, vacation to schools and universities, so that the concerned agencies can deal with the effects and repercussions of the heavy rains."
A security official had said that "the Zaraib area, in the May 15th district (south of Cairo), witnessed the death of five people," after the rain washed away their homes.
And Thursday, Egypt was struck by an unstable weather wave that included severe storms laden with dust and heavy rains, which called on the government to disable work and study on that day.
This wave is expected to continue until Saturday, as confirmed by the Egyptian Meteorological Authority.
The government news website Akhbar Al-Youm reported that two people were killed on Thursday, "electrocuted", above the Cairo's ring road.
In turn, the Ministry of Social Solidarity directed the relief and emergency teams of the Egyptian Red Crescent to intervene in the "Zarayeb" area.
A statement issued by the ministry said on Friday that "the Red Crescent teams have provided first aid to the injured and provided relief services to 250 families, including beds, mattresses, blankets and dry food."
The ministry also decided to "disburse urgent benefits until the payment of legal compensation amounting to one thousand pounds (about 64 dollars) for each injured and 5,000 pounds (318 dollars) for the family of the deceased."
Most of the deaths occurred in the rural areas of Egypt and at least 6 children died, either as a result of electrocution or the wreckage of their homes due to heavy rains.
Since it rained late on Wednesday and Thursday morning, social media has been flooded with photos and videos showing submerged roads and villages, as well as water-filled apartments in some of Cairo's upscale neighborhoods.
Late Thursday, the Cairo Water Authority announced that it had suspended water service throughout the city due to the heavy rains that swept the huge sewage system.
She added that the water will return when the weather improves without setting a specific time.
The floods forced the railway agency to completely suspend the train service. There were also reports of blackouts in several parts of Egypt, including parts of Cairo.