Egypt searches for survivors as 13-storey building collapses

A 13-storey building collapsed in the Montazah district of Egypt’s northern coastal city of Alexandria yesterday.

Eyewitnesses told the media that the local security and civil protection units had “immediately attended the incident scene after they were notified by the locals.”

The locals added that “multiple ambulances” were also dispatched to the scene, adding that the collapse had led to a “fire in the rubble” that was later extinguished by the civil protection forces.

The number of victims has yet to be disclosed.

Alexandria Governor Muhammad Al-Sharif said the building was ripped apart by a “vertical split”. He added that it was usually rented out to holidaymakers during the summer months. There was also a supermarket in one of the ground-floor units.

The top floor had been removed prior to the collapse, he explained, after residents became concerned of its stability.

Eyewitnesses reportedly said they heard an explosion before the building collapsed.

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