Egypt building owner arrested

2008-10-09 13:25

Cairo - Police in the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria arrested the owner of a building which collapsed before dawn on Wednesday, killing 11 residents, the state-run MENA news agency reported.

The owner, Majdi Ishaq Malek, was arrested along with a relative. A police official on Wednesday said the owner had added two storeys to the building, leading to its collapse.

Rescue operations had ended by Wednesday night, MENA reported. A security official had initially put the death toll at 12.

Two neighbouring blocks were evacuated after the accident, which crushed cars that were parked in front of the building.

An MP representing the Alexandria district where the building collapsed said the building was in violation of construction regulations.

Wednesday's building collapse was the third such accident in the district, the MP, Saleh Subhi, said.

Such incidents are relatively frequent in Egypt where building regulations are often flouted and additional floors are added without permission.

Last December, 35 people were killed when a 12-storey building collapsed, also in Alexandria.

In 2005, the collapse of a six-storey building there killed 19 people. Three extra storeys had been added illegally.

Tougher legislation against construction companies which ignore the law was introduced in 1996 after a building in a Cairo residential area caved in, killing 64 people.

- AFP