Toll rises from Egypt building collapse

2012-07-16 08:19

A rescue workers searches for survivors. (Tarek Fawzy, AP)

Alexandria - An apartment tower under construction collapsed on adjacent buildings in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, killing 11 people, Egypt's Health Ministry said on Sunday.

The ministry said five other people were injured and that teams were searching for survivors buried under rubble.

The 11-story building in the poor Alexandria neighbourhood of al-Gomrouk collapsed late Saturday onto three adjacent buildings, reducing many of the structures to rubble.

All the dead and injured lived in the three smaller buildings.

Building collapses are not uncommon in Egypt, where shoddy construction is widespread in shantytowns, poor city neighbourhoods and rural areas.

With real estate at a premium in big cities like Alexandria and Cairo, developers seeking bigger profits frequently violate planning permits and exceed the number of stories allowed.

- AP