One person was killed and five others were injured Thursday when a billboard collapsed in a major thoroughfare as a result of a sandstorm that swept through Egypt's capital, state media reported.

The storm "crushed" four vehicles on the October 6 motorway in the center of Cairo, home to a population of 20 million people, according to the state flagship paper Al-Ahram.

Traffic authorities worked to "remove the wreckage of the billboard and restore the movement of traffic", the newspaper added.

Sandstorms regularly pummel Egypt during the spring, causing respiratory issues, according to the health ministry.

Authorities closed two ports along the Suez Canal on Thursday "due to bad weather conditions", including intense winds and high waves accompanying the sandstorm.

Reduced visibility during a similar storm in 2021 led to the giant container ship Ever Given getting wedged diagonally across the Suez Canal, disrupting trade flows for nearly a week.

With a population of more than 105 million, Egypt is the Arab world's most populous country.