Raging storms have left 15 people dead and dozens injured in Egypt as heavy rains and fierce winds hit countries across the Middle East.
Police sources confirmed that 11 people were killed and 58 injured in road accidents around the country, reported Ahram Online on Monday.
Three people lost their lives in other incidents, while at least one person was dead in the collapse of a textile factory in Alexandria, a security official said, blaming "bad weather and heavy rains."
"It has been raining steadily and very hard since yesterday (Saturday) in Alexandria. The building is 30 years old and the foundations could have been damaged," one security official said.
Relief workers rushed to the scene to assist more factory workers, officials said, adding that 30 people could have been working in the six-storey factory in the northern Alexandria neighborhood of Moharram Bey.
Twenty-six ships were barred from entering the Suez Canal and 29 vessels were delayed for three hours before they could move through the waterway linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.
The waterway was hit by poor visibility and winds of up to 40 knots an hour, said an official at the canal, Egypt's third-largest source of foreign revenue after tourism and remittances from expatriate workers.
High waves also closed all eight of Egypt's main Red Sea ports on Sunday for the second consecutive day, as well as its Mediterranean ports of Alexandria and Dekheila, officials said.
Meanwhile, officials at Cairo airport said preventive measures were being taken after visibility was reduced to 300 meters.
People in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, have also been advised to stay indoors due to a sandstorm that has blanketed the city.
With temperatures having plunged since Friday night, thunderstorms and heavy rains have lashed the north coast, Red Sea region and the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt.
Strong winds reaching up to 60 kilometers per hour have whipped up sandstorms in Syria and Jordan as well.
In Lebanon, at least one person has been killed and some of the country's roads have been closed.
Flights to and from many airports in the region have been delayed or canceled.
The stormy weather is expected to last through Monday.
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