5-story apartment building collapses in Cairo, killing at least 9 people

A five-story apartment building collapses in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, leaving at least nine people dead, authorities say, 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 neighborhoods and rural areas.

The state-run MENA news agency reports that rescue teams recovered at least nine bodies from under the rubble of the building in Cairo’s neighborhood of Hadaeq el-Qubbah, roughly 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the city’s center.

Four survivors were also taken to a hospital and authorities evacuated a neighboring apartment building, MENA says.

Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity said it would give 60,000 Egyptian pounds, roughly $1,940, 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.

Nine people die in building collapse in Cairo https://t.co/wOa94Lrqma

— Ahram Online (@ahramonline) July 17, 2023

It was not immediately clear what caused the building to collapse.

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 neighborhoods to rehouse those living in at-risk areas.