Eight killed in building collapse

At least eight people – mostly firefighters and police – were killed when a 12-storey building collapsed in Cairo today.

Rescue workers used bulldozers and cranes in a desperate bid to recover more survivors as anxious relatives watched and waited at the scene.

The building collapsed last night in the Cairo suburb of Nasr City after a fire broke out in Souq al-Wahda, a ground-floor electrical shop.

After working through the night under spotlights, eight bodies were recovered - seven firefighters and police officers as well as a private citizen, according to rescue officials.

At least six people remained trapped in the rubble, and a member of the rescue team said rescuers had heard from a survivor beneath the debris this morning. The survivor said two others were alive with him.

General Mohammed el-Moayyed, in charge of rescue efforts on the scene, said that six firefighters were believed to still be trapped in the rubble and probably some workers from the small appliance store. He said he has called for rescue workers from the armed forces to help in order to speed the work.

“We are racing against time. Hopefully, we can get them alive, God willing,” el-Moayyed said.

Most residents had been evacuated by the time of the collapse, authorities said.

The building was built in 1981, and police said the owner illegally added four more floors 12 years ago.

Thirty-three people were in hospital with injuries, Health Minister Mohammed Awad Tag Eddin said. Their conditions were not known.