Durunka

Durunka (Arabic: درنكة, Coptic: ⲧⲣⲟⲛⲭⲏ Coptic pronunciation: [təroːnkʰə][1]), alternatively spelled Dronka, is an Upper Egyptian town, located on the west bank of the Nile, in the Asyut Governorate.

Durunka
درنكة
ⲧⲣⲟⲛⲭⲏ
Durunka is located in Egypt
Durunka
Durunka
Location in Egypt
Coordinates: 27°9′32″N 31°11′42″E
Country Egypt
GovernorateAsyut Governorate
Time zoneUTC+2 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)+3

History
See also: 1994 Dronka lightning strike

The Holy family visited Durunka on their flight into Egypt and the nearby monasteries at Dayr Durunka commemorate it.[2]

In 1994 during severe thunderstorms over the area that caused much damage and flash flooding, a flash of lightning ignited three oil storage tanks each holding about 5,000 tons of aircraft or diesel fuel. These tanks were located on a railway line that subsequently collapsed as floodwaters built up behind it. The fuel caught fire from the lightning strike and the floodwaters swept the blazing fuel into the village, killing approximately 469 people, the world's yet highest confirmed death toll from a single incident lightning strike.[3]

References
  1. Peust, Carsten. Die Toponyme vorarabischen Ursprungs im modernen Ägypten. p. 38.
  2. holyfamilyegypt (2017-07-09). "Durunka". Holy Family in Egypt. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  3. "World Meteorological Organization's World Weather & Climate Extremes Archive".

27°09′00″N 31°11′00″E

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