(Cairo) A residential building collapsed in Cairo on Monday, killing at least eight people, including seven members of the same family, the public prosecutor and state media said.
The ministry said in a statement that a building in the Hadayek al-Qobba neighborhood had “completely collapsed”, with 14 residents under the rubble.
Nine people, including a survivor, have so far been extracted from the rubble by civil protection services, he added, adding that eight had died. The search is continuing to find the other five people.
The same source indicated that five residents had managed to leave the building before the tragedy.
The prosecution took testimony from the injured survivor and two other residents, who “suggested that the collapse was caused by one of the residents who recently tore down the walls of her first-floor apartment”. despite the requests to stop which had been addressed to him by neighbors.
The public prosecutor’s office ordered the arrest of the apartment owner, the building contractor and one of his employees “for questioning”.
The government newspaper Al Ahram claimed that “seven members of the same family” were among the victims.
Several buildings have collapsed in recent years in Egypt, causing many victims, due to the dilapidation of the buildings but also to non-compliance with legislation in terms of town planning.