More than 500 hospitalized with stings after storms wash scorpions into people's homes in Egypt

How scorpions help kill cancer

Heavy rain and flooding in a southern province in Egypt have left three people dead and more than 500 others hospitalized from scorpion stings, state-run media reported.  Downpours, hail and thunder in the province of Aswan over the weekend forced local authorities to suspend school classes Sunday, Gov. Ashraf Attia said.

The storms forced scorpions from their hiding places into many houses across the province, Attia added. He said at least 503 people were hospitalized after suffering scorpion stings and that all of them were discharged after they were given anti-venom doses. Extra doses of the anti-venom were provided to medical centers in villages near mountains and deserts in Aswan after the scorpion swarm was reported, the BBC reported.

A scorpion is pictured at the Scorpion Kingdom laboratory and farm in Egypt's Western Desert, near the city of Dakhla in the New Valley, some 700 Southeast the capital, on February 4, 2021. KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Acting Health Minister Khalid Abdel-Ghafar said in a statement that no deaths were reported from scorpion stings. Three soldiers died after being electrocuted when their camp was flooded, the New York Times reported.

Photos and video footage circulated on social media showed flooded streets and damaged houses, vehicles and agricultural farms.

Egypt's fat-tailed scorpions, known as Androctonus crassicauda, translates from Greek to "man-killer," Al Jazeera reports.  Venom from a black fat-tail scorpion can kill humans in under an hour, the BBC reports.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.