Between 400 to 500 people were stung by the scorpions as they entered homes.
A rare thunderstorm brought on heavy rain and flooding to Southern Egypt over the weekend, conditions that also sent swarms of scorpions into the homes of hundreds. Between 400 to 500 people were stung by scorpions and at least three were killed, BBC reported.
The flooding was the worst of its kind in 11 years, according to Aswan's governor Ashraf Attia.
Scorpions swarmed the streets following the overflow brought on by the rain and entered homes where hundreds of locals in the city of Aswan were stung, BBC reported.
Citizens who were stung by the scorpions said their symptoms included severe pain, fever, sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle tremors and head twitching, Al Jazeera reported.
Egypt's fat-tailed scorpions, known as Androctonus crassicauda, translates from Greek to “man-killer,” Al Jazeera reported. They normally reside in the desert are are among the deadliest in the world. Without treatment, people can die within an hour of being stung, CNN reported.
Residents who were stung were sent to local hospitals to receive anti-venom injections, Egypt's state-run Al Ahram newspaper said.
Aswan normally gets 1 millimeter of rainfall a year so the torrential downpour brought on Friday sent the city into shock.
The heavy rainfall brought many down trees and ruined homes, leaving the government to alert residents to stay home and avoid the streets if they could.
BBC reported that doctors were pulled from administering COVID-19 vaccines in order to administer life saving anti-venom serum. Extra doses of the anti-venom have been provided to medical centers in villages near mountains and deserts, a health official told Al-Ahram.
Three members of the country’s security forces were killed in the flash floods during the storm as well, officials said.
