Heavy rain causes schools to shut in Egypt

Schools and universities across Egypt are closed because of heavy rain.

The decision was taken to help people cope with the rainfall, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said, according to China's state-run news agency Xinhua.

The downpours, which started on early Monday morning, have caused flooding on key roads and have created massive traffic jams.

The Egyptian Meteorological Authority forecast that many parts of the country would continue to be hit hard by three-days of unstable weather, Xinhua added.

Social media users have shared photos and videos showing the effects of the rain:

Some also criticised the government’s lack of preparedness as flooding cripples the capital and other major cities almost every year.

In October, eight people, including four children, were killed by the extreme weather conditions.