Hundreds of People Stung by ‘Deathstalker’ Scorpions During Storms in Egypt

Villages in the southern Egyptian province of Aswan have been battling the forces of nature this week: thunderstorms, heavy rain, flooding, and scorpions.

The Egyptian health ministry confirmed 503 people were stung by deathstalker scorpions after the creatures were pushed from their dens by heavy rains and sought shelter in people’s homes, while hail storms and flash floods claimed the lives of three people over the weekend.

The deathstalkers, one of many potentially deadly-scorpion species that reside in Egypt, can grow up to 3 inches long, and its venom can be deadly for children or adults with health complications. Egypt’s health ministry said that scorpion sting victims had been able to receive antivenom in hospitals, with acting health minister Khalid Abdel-Ghafar saying 3,350 doses were available in local hospitals.

Scorpion stings can lead to severe pain at the site of the sting in addition to high body temperature, sweating, vomiting, and diarrhoea, Egyptian health ministry officials said.

Photos and video footage circulating on social media showed the aftermath of the floods and large-scale damage to streets and damaged houses, vehicles, and farms.

Aswan’s governor Ashraf Attiya told local Egyptian media that the authorities were working on restarting electricity and drinking water in the affected area and that the estimate of the damage caused by the flood stood at 106 houses completely collapsed and 394 more partially damaged, with a total of over 500 families affected.