5-story building collapses in Cairo, 9 dead

At least nine people were killed as rescuers searched through the rubble after a five-story apartment building collapsed in Cairo, Egypt, officials said.

Collapsed buildings are common in Egypt, and shoddy construction and lack of maintenance are prevalent in shanty towns, poor urban areas and rural areas.

The state-run MENA news agency reported that rescue teams had recovered at least nine bodies from under the rubble of buildings in the Hadek El Quba district, about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from central Cairo.

MENA said on Monday that four survivors had also been taken to hospital and authorities had evacuated their neighboring apartments.

After an initial inspection, Cairo’s Deputy Governor Hossam Fawzi said the collapse was caused by one of the residents on the first floor, who had removed many walls during early maintenance work. The man has been detained and will be investigated.

The Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity has announced that it will give 60,000 Egyptian pounds ($2,500) to the families of the nine victims. The ministry also said it was delivering relief supplies to the injured and was monitoring damage to nearby buildings.

Police units cordoned off the area as rescuers combed through the debris to search for survivors, local reports said.

After decades of lax enforcement, the government has been cracking down on illegal construction in recent years. Authorities are also building new cities and districts to accommodate people living in at-risk areas.