3 children killed in southern Egypt apartment building collapse

CAIRO — An apartment building collapsed in a southern Egyptian province on Monday, killing at least three children, the country’s state-run media reported.

Rescue teams retrieved at least nine injured from the rubble of the two-story building in the district of Ihnasiya in Beni Suef province, around 111 kilometers (69 miles) south of Cairo, according to the daily Al-Ahram.

Two brothers, aged 8 and 12, and their 11-year-old sister were killed, Al-Ahram reported. Three children are among the injured, the report said.

It was not immediately known what caused the collapse but such incidents are common in Egypt, where shoddy construction is widespread in shantytowns, poor city neighborhoods and rural areas.

In September, a four-story building collapsed in the city of Shoubra el-Khaima, near Cairo, killing at least three people.

The government has recently launched a crackdown on illegal building across the country, jailing violators and in many cases destroying the buildings.