Egypt's Prime Minister Sherif Ismail headed on Wednesday to Beheira governorate's Wadi El-Natroun to check on rescue and aid efforts in the city following heavy overnight rains that caused flash floods, resulting in the death of three people and the injury of at least 19 in the governorate.

Earlier on Wednesday, the prime minister delegated the governors of Beheira, Alexandria and North Sinai to decide on whether to declare Wednesday and Thursday days off for public employees and schools due to the harsh weather conditions.

Wadi El-Natroun, in Egypt's western desert, contains a number of ancient monasteries still in use, as well as the Valley of the Whales, a paleontological site where fossils of extinct  whales are preserved.

Rain and thunderstorms have also hit other governorates across the country including Alexandria and North Sinai, causing floods and disrupting daily life.