CAIRO (AP) – A five-storey apartment building collapsed yesterday in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, leaving at least nine people dead, authorities said, as rescuers at the scene searched through the rubble.
Building collapses are common in Egypt, where shoddy construction and a lack of maintenance are widespread in shantytowns, poor city neighbourhoods and rural areas.
The state-run MENA news agency reported that rescue teams recovered at least nine bodies from under the rubble of the building in Cairo’s neighbourhood of Hadaeq el-Qubbah, roughly 3.2 kilometres from the city’s centre.
Four survivors were also taken to a hospital and authorities evacuated a neighbouring apartment building, MENA said.
Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity said it would give EGP60,000, roughly USD1,940, to the families of the nine victims killed in the accident. The ministry also said it would deliver aid to the injured and was monitoring the damage to nearby properties.
Police forces cordoned off the area as rescue teams combed the rubble in search for possible survivors, according to local reports.
The government has tried to crack down on illegal building in recent years after decades of lax enforcement.
Authorities are also building new cities and neighbourhoods to rehouse those living in at-risk areas.
