7 killed, 1 survivor after building collapses in Cairo

CAIRO, EGYPT (BNO NEWS) — Seven workers were killed on Wednesday after a building collapsed in Cairo, Egypt, local media reported.

The broken-down building located in Cairo’s historic Islamic district collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday morning, taking the lives of seven construction workers who were spending the night in the building, the Daily News Egypt reported.

“The accident took place at 3:30 am (0030 GMT) while they were sleeping. Seven people were killed, one person was injured and two workmen managed to escape before the building came down,” a security official said.

The officer said the workers would sleep on the ground floor of the deserted house in the Darb Al-Ahmar neighborhood after finishing work. However, the building had already been ordered to be brought down because it was putting the public in danger.

Rescue workers were able to retrieve the seven bodies and rescue the injured worker who sustained multiple fractures.

It is common in Egypt that extra floors are added to building without planning as construction guidelines are not commonly followed in the country. In addition, poor quality materials and corruption are often the causes of these frequent accidents involving collapsing buildings.

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