By the Associated Press
CAIRO — Egyptian authorities say the death toll from heavy rains that pummeled the capital of Cairo and other parts of the country this week has risen to 11.
In this Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 photo, vehicles stop in a traffic jam due to flood waters caused by heavy rains in Cairo, Egypt. Many people, including two children, were killed in Egypt's Nile Delta region, authorities said Wednesday after heavy rains pummeled Cairo and other parts of the country the previous day, causing massive traffic jams and flooding many key roads. (AP Photo / Tarek Wagih / MANILA BULLETIN)
That's according to updated statements released on Thursday by police departments and hospitals in provinces that were most affected by the downpours.
Most of the casualties, which include at least four children, died from electrocution by power cables that got submerged in floodwaters.
The downpours and the flooding, which started on Tuesday, also caused massive traffic jams in Cairo and prompted authorities to close schools and universities in the Greater Cairo area on Wednesday. They reopened the following day.
The mayhem has elicited public outrage as it exposed the country's poor infrastructure and dilapidated sewage and drainage systems after years of poor maintenance.