Egypt celebrates new Suez Canal with stamp of Panama Canal

Social media users proved the embarrassing gaffe was real after officials insisted the stamps were 'fakes'

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The Egyptian Minister of Communications, Atef Helmy, has halted the production of stamps to commemorate the Suez Canal extension after discovering they mistakenly feature an image of the wrong waterway – the Panama Canal.

Egyptian authorities finally accepted responsibility for the mistake, after previously denying the allegations.

"This stamp is fake; our official postage stamps haven’t been released yet," a member of the Postal Authority told the Cairo Post. "This must be an organized plan to attack and criticize the New Suez Canal, a huge and national project."

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But social media users were quick to point out that the stamps were authentic and the photos were indeed wrong.

The 145-year old Suez Canal is one of the world's most historic trading routes and serves as a vital transportation link between Europe and Asia.

It is a source of national pride to most Egyptians as well as a major source of income for the government, with annual revenues exceeding £3 billion a year. Plans for the extension were unveiled last month and will allow ships to travel in both directions in some parts of the canal.

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