CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) -- Dust-laden winds from the Libyan desert swept across the eastern Mediterranean on Wednesday, blotting out skies and keeping Egypt's Alexandria port closed.

In Cyprus, hospital officials said several people with respiratory problems had sought treatment. "Elderly and young people ought to remain indoors," one official in Nicosia said.

Nicosia residents said "clouds of incandescent yellowish-red dust" were hanging over the island's divided capital, blocking nearby mountains from view.

Police urged drivers to take care.

Cyprus radio said conditions were particularly bad in the southern city of Limassol, where thick dust clouds mingled with a thunderstorm, bringing down muddy rain.

In northern Cyprus, meteorologists advised people to stay indoors to avoid the swirling dust.

In Egypt, airport officials said poor visibility at Aswan airport, 690 km (430 miles) south of Cairo, had forced one Aswan-bound flight to return to the Cairo airport.

High winds also blew dust over Lebanon, dimming visibility, but did not affect flights or port activity.

Egyptian meteorologists predicted that the dust storm would last until Friday E morning.