Nearly 21 people have been killed in some of the worst storms to hit Egypt in decades, the country's prime minister said in a statement on Friday.

The North African country has been battered by heavy rain andstrong winds that began in the earlier hours of Thursday and continued onFriday.

"Egypt has not experienced such weather conditions for nearly35 or 40 years," Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said. "These weatherconditions resulted in about 20 deaths across the country."

Traffic, trains, ports, and flights were affected. As many as 30 people were injured on Thursday when two passenger trains collided in Cairo because of the weather, the government said. Local media reported several deaths because of electric shocks, partial collapse of buildings or road accidents over Thursday and Friday.