Authorities reported a five-story building collapsed in Egypt’s capital Cairo on Monday, killing at least nine people as rescuers combed through the ruins.
Building collapses are prevalent in Egypt, where slums, metropolitan slums and rural regions are plagued by substandard construction and a lack of upkeep.
According to the state-run MENA news agency, rescue personnel discovered at least nine dead from the wreckage of the building in Cairo’s Hadaeq el-Qubbah area, approximately 3.2 kilometres from the city centre.
According to MENA, four survivors were also transported to the hospital, and officials evacuated an adjacent building.
After an initial inspection, Cairo’s deputy governor, Hossam Fawzi, said the collapse was caused by one of the residents on the ground floor who had removed several walls during earlier maintenance work. The man has been arrested and will be investigated, he added.
Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity said it would donate 60,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,940) to the families of the nine victims. The ministry also said it would provide aid to the injured and was monitoring damage to nearby properties.
Police forces cordoned off the area while rescue teams searched the rubble for possible survivors, according to local reports.
The government has tried to crack down on illegal construction in recent years, after decades of lax enforcement. Authorities are also building new towns and neighborhoods to relocate people living in at-risk areas.
