According to state daily Al-Ahram, at least five people including a child were killed and four more were injured after a building collapsed in Monday in Alexandria, Egypt.
A fifth victim from the building collapse, Mohamed Hussein, 28, was rescued from the rubble on Tuesday. The search is still ongoing.
Three of the deceased have been identified as Abdullah Mahfouz, 13, Mostafa Othman, 22, and Hamdy El-Sayed, 40, while another pulled from the rubble on Tuesday were yet to be identified.
According to the city’s governor, Mohamed El Sherif, the 14-story structure, which was built around 50 years ago, housed 16 families, while other flats were used by domestic visitors enjoying the summer in Alexandria.
One of the occupants described the terrifying moments when her missing family members collapsed with the building about 8 a.m. local time on Monday to reporters on the scene.
“I placed my younger siblings under the couch as bricks were falling,” said the young woman in tears. “I went back and called for my mother to leave with me, she said she was coming. So, I walked a few steps forward to find the ceiling falling along with them [my mother and brother]. I was facing the sky and they were down.”
The Egyptian Public Prosecution has issued an order detaining the owner of the fallen 14th floor and a contractor for four days pending investigations into charges of involuntary murder and improper building. According to Al-Ahram, despite a demolition order, the contractor completed the constructions on the top floor.
According to a member of Egypt’s House of Representatives, around 7,000 ancient, occupied structures in Alexandria are in risk of collapsing.
