15 trapped in deadly Cairo apartment block collapse
Rescue teams battled to free 15 people trapped in the rubble of a Cairo apartment block early Tuesday after it collapsed during the night, killing at least 10 others.
The Egyptian capital's emergency services chief General Mamduh Abdelkader said the investigation into the cause of the collapse in the residential neighbourhood of Matariya is ongoing, but that illegal construction work is suspected.
"Ten people have been killed and we fear that number may rise as 15 people are trapped in the rubble," Abdelkader told AFP.
Deadly building collapses are not uncommon in Egypt, where safety and planning regulations are widely flouted.
Landlords often add extra floors to buildings whose foundations were not designed to support them.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
