A severe sandstorm in Aswan in southern Egypt led to a boat accident and damage to a local museum on Wednesday.

A touristic Nile boat sank amid the unusually severe storm, leaving one South African passenger missing. Six other tourists, including one other South African, three Australians, and one Pole, as well as three Egyptians, were rescued from the boat

The Crocodile Museum in the southern city of Kom Ombo also suffered damage when its roof collapsed after the fierce sandstorm hit the governorate.

An ancient Egyptian mummified crocodile on display at the crocodile museum in Aswan, Egypt in 2012 (Photo: Zeinab El-Gundy)

The Crocodile Museum, inaugurated in 2012, exhibits a collection of mummified crocodiles found in Ancient Egypt, alongside tablets and statutes of ancient Egyptian crocodile deity Sobek.

Officials from the antiquities ministry said that none of the artifacts had been damaged but that the museum would be closed to visitors until a technical committee could inspect the site.

Egypt is currently witnessing unstable weather conditions, including rainstorms and floods in Sinai and along the Red Sea coast.

According to Egypt's Meteorological Authority, the unstable weather conditions will continue for another two days.