Sandstorm sweeps over Egypt

A heavy sandstorm engulfed most of Egypt today, reducing visibility to less than 500 meters and forcing several flights, including a plane carrying Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir, to land elsewhere, airport officials said.

El-Bashir, who is on a one-day official visit, instead landed in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, where he met President Hosni Mubarak.

Five other international flights were diverted from Cairo either to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus or to the southern Red Sea resort of Hurghada, some 300 miles south of Cairo, the officials said.

The flights included British Airways from London, Ghana Airways from Nairobi, CorsAir from Paris and EgyptAir from Dar es Salaam.

In the Suez Canal area, port authorities declared a state of emergency for possible disruption to traffic in the strategic waterway.

Weather forecasters expected the sandstorm, centred in the Western Desert, to last two days. No wind speed was given.

Egypt is often hit by fierce sandstorms at this time of the year.

In Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, a similar storm today reduced visibility to 500 yards and briefly disrupted air traffic, airport officials said.

Three flights, an Air France, AirLanka and a private plane from Abu Dhabi, were kept circling over Beirut airport.