Thunderstorms packing heavy rains and lightning caused widespread flooding across Egypt on Thursday, killing at least five people, officials said as authorities declared a holiday by shuttering schools, government offices and an airport.

Authorities shut down Luxor International Airport, a key hub for tourists, and three seaports — the Mediterranean port of Alexandria and the Red Sea ports of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada.

Nile River cruises between the southern cities of Luxor and Aswan, which harbor most of ancient Egypt's monuments, were suspended and several key highways were closed.

The prime minister's office on Wednesday advised Egyptians to stay home.

Thunderstorms and flooding around Egypt entered a second day Friday, interrupting daily life in much of the country, including the capital Cairo, as the death toll rose to 21, authorities said.

Most of the victims were in rural areas and slums. At least six children died either from electrocution or when their houses collapsed on them.

Since the rains hit late Wednesday and early Thursday, social media has been inundated with images and video showing flooded roads and villages as well as water-filled apartments in some of Cairo's richest neighborhoods.

Chaos always accompanies bad weather in Egypt, raising questions about the country's poor infrastructure and dilapidated sewage and drainage systems.

To minimize the impact of bad weather, the government closed down schools and suspended work in businesses and government offices after forecasters warned of heavy rains and flooding across much of the country through Saturday.

Late on Thursday, Cairo's Water Authority announced it had suspended water service to the entire megacity because heavy rain had overwhelmed the vast sewage system. By Friday morning water had returned to some parts of the city.

The floods forced the country's railway authorities to suspend train service nationwide. Power outages were also reported in several parts of the country, including parts of Cairo.

Disaster authorities in Pakistan report that severe weather including heavy rain has caused widespread damage in several provinces, in particular Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where over 20 people have died.

Local media said Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) also reported 3 fatalities in Balochistan. Rain and heavy snowfall also damaged homes and blocked roads in parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported 23 people have died and 54 people injured. Most of the fatalities and injuries came as a result of collapsing buildings or walls. A total of 127 homes have been damaged, including 13 completely destroyed.

The districts of Mardan (7 fatalities, 17 injured, 10 houses damaged or destroyed), Swat (4 fatalities, 4 injured, 4 houses damaged or destroyed) and Swabi (3 fatalities, 23 houses damaged or destroyed) are among the worst affected areas.

Fatalities were also reported in Peshawar (2), Charsadda (2), Nowshera (2) Buner (1) and Khyber (2) where 11 houses were damaged or destroyed. Eleven houses were also damaged or destroyed in Malakand district.