By Sarah El-Sheikh
A five-storey building and a four-storey building collapsed in the Al-Sufy district in the governorate of Fayoum early Sunday, leaving nine people dead and injuring 25 others.
The two residential buildings collapsed when a bulldozer vehicle dug in between them.
Fayoum governor Weal Makram ordered the provision of the necessary care for the injured and to arrest the land owner and the bulldozer driver, who are accused of drilling without a licence. They were both sent to the prosecution for investigations.
Rescue teams arrived to search under the rubble and managed to extract five people. Ambulance cars were sent to transfer the injured to the hospital.
Makram further requested to form a committee, including professors from the Faculty of Architecture in Fayoum University, to restore the buildings around the two collapsed buildings in the Al-Sufy area, and to ensure their safety.
Over the past weeks, a four-floor residential building collapsed in the Faisal neighbourhood of Giza, but no casualties were reported. Two other buildings collapsed in Alexandria, one of which collapsed in the Al-Montazah area, leaving four dead and eight injured. One deserted building collapsed in the Cleopatra area, without any reports of death or injuries.
