Apartment block collapses in Cairo’s Warraq district killing one

Another apartment block has collapsed in Egypt after a demolition order was ignored, killing one person and injuring others.

The six-storey building was in the Warraq district of the capital Cairo and collapsed yesterday morning despite repeated warnings about unsafe buildings following a series of fatal incidents across the country.

The wife of the man who died was eventually pulled out alive despite spending more than five hours buried under the rubble.

Shoddy building work and illegal construction are common in Egypt and despite complaints being made, often they are not investigated.

Even when demolition orders are issued against buildings owners buy police off with bribes and the buildings remain.

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Property developers often violate planning permits and continue to add floors to buildings without permission or inadequate foundations.

In March at least 25 people died and 75 were injured after a building in Gesr Suez collapsed.

In June, five women died when an apartment block collapsed in Alexandria, where some 20 buildings collapse every few months.

Warraq Island is one of the poorer parts of Cairo where the government is demolishing homes to make way for lucrative redevelopment. Under the premise that they have built houses illegally on state or privately-owned land, authorities are kicking people out and razing homes.

Residents have been protesting against the government’s plans and leading activists have been arrested.