Building collapse in Alexandria, Egypt: at least 3 fatalities

A 14-story apartment building in the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt, collapsed on Monday, resulting in the death of at least three individuals, according to authorities. The collapsed building housed 16 families as permanent residents, while the remaining apartments were rented to beachgoers.

The cause of the collapse is not immediately known; however, such incidents are common in Egypt due to widespread substandard construction in shantytowns, impoverished urban areas, and rural regions. The governor of Alexandria, Mohamed Al-Sharif, stated that search operations were ongoing at the site, and an investigation into the collapse's cause has been initiated.

In major cities like Alexandria and Cairo, where real estate is in high demand, developers often violate planning permits to maximize profits, frequently adding unauthorized extra floors to buildings. It is of interest that individuals who violate building permits have faced imprisonment, and illegally constructed buildings have been demolished in many cases.

Initially, eight people were reported missing under the rubble. However, on Tuesday, city officials confirmed the retrieval of three bodies, without providing information about any remaining missing individuals. Two people who were injured in the collapse have been discharged from the hospital.

In a similar incident in February, a four-story building in the Nile Delta city of Damanhour collapsed entirely after cooking gas cylinders in the basement exploded, resulting in the deaths of six people. In recent years, Egyptian authorities have been cracking down on illegal construction, relocating residents from unsafe dwellings and shantytowns to newly constructed cities.