Scorpions kill three, injure hundreds in Egypt’s Aswan

Scorpions in Egypt’s southern city of Aswan killed three people and injured hundreds after storms brought them into streets and houses, state newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Saturday.

“Three people died and 450 were injured as a result of scorpion stings due to the bad weather that hit Aswan yesterday,” a health official told Al-Ahram.

Extra doses of anti-venom have been provided to assist hospital doctors in providing medical care to injured patients, the official added.

Aswan witnessed violent hail storms, strong winds and heavy rain on Friday.

Scorpions are usually washed into the streets by heavy rain.

Scorpion stings are usually not fatal, and typically only cause pain, numbness and tingling, and swelling, according to the Mayo Clinic.

However, severe cases show symptoms including: difficulty breathing, muscle twitching or thrashing, unusual head, neck and eye movements, drooling, sweating, nausea and vomiting, high blood pressure (hypertension), accelerated heart rate (tachycardia), restlessness or excitability.

Aswan’s education officials declared Sunday a holiday for schools to ensure the safety of students.