At least three people in Egypt have died and hundreds more were injured this weekend by scorpions that emerged from flooded areas near the Nile River.
The Egyptian Health Ministry said some 450 people were stung by deadly black fat-tailed scorpions who were driven into the streets by hail, heavy rain and thunderstorms in the southern city of Aswan.
The black fat-tailed scorpion, native to Egypt, is among the most deadly in the world; its venom can kill a human in less than an hour.
Reactions to scorpion venom can include difficulty breathing, muscle twitches and unusual head movements, the BBC reported.
Local medical centers in mountain and desert villages received extra doses of antivenom serum to treat the injured, according to a health official quoted by the Al Ahram news agency.
People were urged to stay home and avoid places with vegetation. However, scorpions can also be found in the homes, as they sometimes are in Israeli communities in the Negev, albeit usually in the summer months.
