Beirut (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A fierce sandstorm has hit
Egypt, Israel and Lebanon, resulting in the closure of the Suez Canal and the
cancellation of several flights throughout Israel. Cairo was barely visible, shrouded
in desert dust and sand for the second straight day. In Lebanon, the fishing
industry has been brought to a halt with trawlers forced to remain docked to
ports, losing the whole working day.
The sandstorm has blocked navigation along the Suez Canal, south-east of Cairo;
manager shut down operations for the entire day yesterday, at least 52 ships
were stranded for hours in the Red Sea, in the vain hope of being able to enter.
The winds reached 74 km per hour.
The operations in the area will resume when the storm has passed and the
weather allows for regular activity. Some international flights were diverted
to other airports in the country, although the air traffic has not suffered particular
damage because of bad weather. Meanwhile, the Egyptian Ministry of Health has urged
fellow citizens to wear masks when in open spaces.
There were also problems in Israel, where the domestic airport Arkia was closed
for several hours, causing the cancellation of many flights.
In Lebanon, the storm Yohan - as it was renamed in the country - has brought wind
gusts of up to 100km / h and forced vessels to stay in port. There were many broken
trees, uprooted billboards and roads cut off by bad weather, which also caused heavy
damage to roads especially on routes that run along the coast. The waves,
driven by the strong winds and waves up to eight meters high, took to the
streets, restaurants and submerged, entire sections of ports and private yacht
clubs.
The sea dragged several ships from their moorings and dragged them into waters aground
sandbanks or onto rocks; fishermen of the coastal strip that runs from Tripoli
to Tyr complain of heavy damage. Heavy snowfall was reported from the mountain
areas, which has caused serious repercussions to traffic. The authorities invite
people to check the road conditions and put on snow tyres before traveling. The
advice for everyone, from the capital to the mountainous, is to avoid travel unless
absolutely necessary.