A Cairo apartment building in the el-Salam neighbourhood collapsed in the early hours of Saturday leaving at least nineteen people killed and 24 injured.
Khalid Abdel-Al, the administrative head of Cairo governorate said in a statement that thrhe governorate’s crisis room was informed at 3:00am (01:00 GMT) of the collapse of a building consisting of a basement, a ground floor and nine (upper) floors”
Emergency workers were searching for possible survivors trapped under the rubble of the building. At least 24 others were injured and taken to hospitals.
Police has cordoned off the area to steer people seeking their friends and relatives away. Workers were seen using bulldozers to clear away debris.
The cause of the building’s collapse is not yet clear. An engineering committee was formed to examine the structural integrity of neighbouring buildings, Abdel-Al said.
The government has recently launched a crackdown on illegal structures across the country to stem incessant building collapse, jailing culprits and in many cases pulling down the buildings.