24 Jul Building Collapse in Cairo
A building has collapsed in Cairo’s Hadayek al-Qubba district, killing eight people – seven from the same family.
Workers crowded the collapsed building, dragging individuals out as best as possible within the smouldering heat.
“Civil defence workers pulled out nine people,” said the statement from the public prosecution and state media.
“Among them an injured woman, white eight others in the building were deceased. Another five were able to leave the property before it fell.”
Regarding the cause of the collapse, the statement went on to say “[…] the collapse was caused by a resident who recently knocked down (load-bearing) walls in his first floor flat, despite neighbours asking him not to do so.”
The prosecution, placing together its case, demanded the arrest of the owner of the building, the contractor in charge of the works and one of his employees for questioning.
A large portion of buildings throughout Cairo are quite dated, originating in the early 19th century, as a result, works can lead to infrastructure damage or even collapse, as seen here, when improper surveying is done on a property.
Egypt has seen several deadly building collapses in recent years, due to the dilapidated state of some of these buildings and the non-compliance with building and town-planning regulations that can take place.