CAIRO—A five-story apartment building collapsed Monday in Cairo, Egypt's capital, killing at least nine people, according to officials, who were searching through the ruins.
Building collapses are common in Egypt, where poor construction and neglect are prevalent in shantytowns, impoverished metropolitan districts, and rural regions.
According to the state-run MENA news agency, rescue personnel found at least nine dead from the wreckage of the building in Cairo's Hadaeq el-Qubbah district, around 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the city center.
Four survivors were also brought to a hospital, and officials evacuated a nearby apartment block, according to MENA.
Following an initial investigation, Cairo's deputy governor, Hossam Fawzi, stated that the fall was caused by a ground-floor homeowner who destroyed a number of walls during previous maintenance work. He said the individual had been detained and would be probed.
Egypt's Ministry of Social Solidarity announced it will reimburse the relatives of the nine fatalities 60,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,940). The ministry also stated that it would provide help to the injured and that it would monitor the damage to surrounding houses.
According to local accounts, police sealed off the area as rescue crews scoured the wreckage for any survivors.
Following decades of slack enforcement, the government has attempted to crack down on unauthorized construction in recent years. Authorities are also constructing new cities and communities to shelter folks who live in high-risk locations.
