Storms force Suez Canal to close

Sandstorms reduced visibility on Egypt's roads virtually to zero

Egypt has closed the Suez Canal as severe storms continue to wreak havoc in the eastern Mediterranean.

All traffic through the key shipping route linking the Mediterranean and the Red Sea was suspended early on Friday because of high winds and strong waves.

Airports and roads elsewhere in Egypt were also closed because of sandstorms which reduced visibility to zero.

The Turkish authorities have closed the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, leaving dozens of vessels stranded.

Thousands of Turkish motorists were trapped in their cars as the second day of gales and snow storms shut roads around the country.

In the Mediterranean, rescuers have been searching for 17 missing crew of a Greek-owned cargo ship which sank in gale-force winds near the island of Crete early on Friday.

Heavy snowfalls in Greece and Bulgaria caused traffic chaos and widespread power cuts. Many schools were closed because of the bad weather.

In Israel, scores of people were treated for breathing problems because of the dust in the air and high winds caused damage both there and further north in Lebanon.

Vessels stranded

Shipping at the Suez Canal was suspended at about 0200 local time (0000 GMT) on Friday, blocking some 30 ships at the northern end of Port Said.

Snow storms shut roads in many parts of Turkey

A number of vessels were also stuck at the southern end of the 195-kilometre-long (120-mile) canal.

Egyptian officials said the waterway would only be reopened when the weather improved but meteorologists said this might not happen until early next week.

An Egyptian Ports Authority official said bad weather had also forced the closure of other ports.

Turkey suspended all traffic through the Bosphorous and Dardanelles waterways on Thursday because of a heavy blizzard.

Local officials said 68 tankers were waiting for passage through the strait - the only outlet for the oil industries of Black Sea states.