In an area that rarely sees snow or rain. Flooding and believe or not, snow, caused scorpions to come out of hiding and sting people. I was in Egypt several years ago. Never saw a scorpion and hopefully never will. They were used during the time of Pharaohs to assassinate enemies while they were sleeping.
Unusually heavy rains and flooding in southern Egypt has disturbed the habitat of scorpions, resulting in hundreds of stings and at least three fatalities.
A surprise thunderstorm starting Friday in the city of Aswan, in southern Egypt, led to the arachnids being washed into the streets, according to local health ministry undersecretary Ehab Hanafy, Ahram Online reported.
Aswan typically gets less than a quarter of an inch of rain a year, but the unusual precipitation also reportedly included snowfall.
Scorpions generally hide in crevices and under rocks during the day and emerge at night to hunt small lizards and insects.
It's also not entirely clear which species is responsible for the attacks, but Egypt is home to a variety — including the deadly Arabian fat-tailed scorpion, or Androctonus crassicauda.
A. Crassicauda's venom contains a neurotoxin that causes intense pain, redness and swelling in the immediate area of the sting, which can be followed by shock, blurry vision and potentially fatal respiratory and heart malfunctions.
Without proper care and anti-venom, an adult can die just an hour after getting stung.
www.dailymail.co.uk
Unusually heavy rains and flooding in southern Egypt has disturbed the habitat of scorpions, resulting in hundreds of stings and at least three fatalities.
A surprise thunderstorm starting Friday in the city of Aswan, in southern Egypt, led to the arachnids being washed into the streets, according to local health ministry undersecretary Ehab Hanafy, Ahram Online reported.
Aswan typically gets less than a quarter of an inch of rain a year, but the unusual precipitation also reportedly included snowfall.
Scorpions generally hide in crevices and under rocks during the day and emerge at night to hunt small lizards and insects.
It's also not entirely clear which species is responsible for the attacks, but Egypt is home to a variety — including the deadly Arabian fat-tailed scorpion, or Androctonus crassicauda.
A. Crassicauda's venom contains a neurotoxin that causes intense pain, redness and swelling in the immediate area of the sting, which can be followed by shock, blurry vision and potentially fatal respiratory and heart malfunctions.
Without proper care and anti-venom, an adult can die just an hour after getting stung.
Fooding in Egypt unleashes scorpions that injure hundreds, kill three
Rain and flooding in Aswan, Egypt, has left three dead and over 500 hospitalized from scorpion stings. The sting of the fat-tailed scorpion can cause trouble breathing and heart malfunctions.
