Three stung to death as flooding in Egypt washes scorpions into homes

Scorpions in Egypt are regularly washed into the streets during periods of heavy rain (Stock image)
AFP via Getty Images
Daniel Keane15 November 2021

Scorpions in Egypt have stung three people to death in the southern city of Aswan after heavy rain and flooding caused the insects to seek shelter in people’s homes.

More than 450 people were hospitalised on Sunday to receive anti-venom treatment after being stung by the arachnids.

Schools have been ordered to close to protect children while residents have been urged to stay at home, according to the Al Ahram news agency.

Video footage posted on social media showed flooded streets and damaged houses and farms. Scorpions are regularly washed into the streets during periods of heavy rain.

The Ministry of Health on Monday sought to reassure locals, insisting that it holds a large stock of anti-venom.

Health officials said that doctors had been forced to pause Covid vaccinations to treat scorpion stings.

The mountains in Aswan are home to the Arabian fat-tailed scorpion, which causes several deaths every year.

The insect, which is up to 4 inches long, is considered to be one of the most dangerous scorpions in the world and its venom can kill humans in under an hour. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, muscle twitching and unusual head movements.

Ahmed Rizk, a professor at Agricultural Research Centre, told Al Watan newspaper that sting victims should “tie a piece of cloth firmly near the bite to inhibit the venom from reaching the heart”.

The Egyptian Meteorological Authority has warned citizens to expect torrential rain for the next 24 hours. Power outages have also been reported across the city.

All of those injured by the scorpion stings have been hospitalised and are receiving treatment, Ehab Hanafy, the undersecretary for Aswan’s health ministry told the Al Ahram agency.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT