Egypt suffered losses of over EGP 1 billion due to a wave of bad weather last week, which killed at least 20 people nationwide, a statement by the presidency read.

Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and a number of ministers, including the electricity, housing and transportation ministers, to discuss the impact of the stormy weather and to order immediate repairs of the damage.

He ordered a detailed study and an accurate accounting of the challenges faced by state apparatuses during this period, especially those related to water drainage.

The bad weather on Thursday and Friday included torrential rain in many parts of the country, leading to flooding.

The cabinet said in a Friday statement that Egypt had not seen such conditions for 35 to 40 years.

The resulting fatalities include at least eight people who were killed in building collapses in a working-class neighbourhood in the El-Zarayeb area of the 15 May suburb of southern Cairo. 

Housing Minister Assem El-Gazzar said the ministry will spend EGP 650 million to reconstruct and develop El-Zarayeb. 

Rainfall in the area was five times greater than the normal range, he added.

The electricity sector’s losses accounted for around EGP 400 million, Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker said, adding that old transformers and transmission towers were significantly damaged, while newer ones were unaffected.

The transportation sector also suffered losses, estimated at around EGP 100 million, in damage to infrastructure.

Egypt had already allocated EGP 100 million to compensate those affected by the bad weather, and the armed forces had been assigned to mitigate the effects of weather in the most affected areas.