Apartment blocks in Cairo. Egypt's government has tried to crack down on illegal construction in recent years. EPA
Apartment blocks in Cairo. Egypt's government has tried to crack down on illegal construction in recent years. EPA
Apartment blocks in Cairo. Egypt's government has tried to crack down on illegal construction in recent years. EPA
Apartment blocks in Cairo. Egypt's government has tried to crack down on illegal construction in recent years. EPA

Egypt building collapse kills six


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At least six people were killed on Sunday when a residential building collapsed in Egypt's Assiut province.

Building collapses are common in Egypt, where shoddy construction and a lack of maintenance are widespread in shanty towns, poorer city neighbourhoods and rural areas.

Rescue teams recovered six bodies from the rubble of the five-storey building in the Qulta neighbourhood of Assiut city, according to provincial governor Essam Saad. Assiut lies about 400km south of Cairo.

Mr Saad said rescuers found two survivors who were taken to a local hospital.

The authorities evacuated the surrounding apartment buildings and sent bulldozers and other equipment to clear and secure the site, he added.

Footage shared by the governor’s office showed rescuers clearing rubble as they searched through the building’s ruins.

Rescue teams were still searching for survivors on Sunday night, using bulldozers and diggers to lift debris as the security forces cordoned off the area around the building.

A bulldozer removes the debris from a building that collapsed in Cairo's El-Weili neighborhood in June, 2022. AP
A bulldozer removes the debris from a building that collapsed in Cairo's El-Weili neighborhood in June, 2022. AP

It was not immediately clear what caused the building to collapse. Mr Saad said officials would investigate the incident and check the safety of the surrounding structures.

The collapse in Assiut came a day after the roof of a building in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria caved in, leaving two people dead and one injured.

The government has tried to crack down on illegal building in recent years after decades of lax enforcement. The authorities are building new cities and neighbourhoods to rehouse those living in at-risk areas.

But many Egyptian cities still contain entire neighbourhoods of unlicensed apartment blocks and shanty towns that do not conform to building codes.

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Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
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When: From Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 12.

Where: At 13 different centres across Sharjah.

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The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home

Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless

Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

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Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Updated: January 09, 2023, 5:38 AM