CAIRO: Residents of the Duweiqa shantytown, the site of the rockslide disaster, clashed with security forces Saturday night as they attempted to raze the area.
Residents from Duweiqa called relatives who were attending a protest at the Journalists’ Syndicate Saturday evening to inform them of events in the shantytown.
According to eyewitnesses, police had completely surrounded the area and the protesting residents in Duweiqa. They were not allowing anybody else, most of all the press, to enter the area and reportedly prevented those in the area from leaving.
Clashes then erupted between the residents and security forces as they removed people from the disaster site itself in preparation to bulldoze the area. Many people were still digging in the rubble looking for relatives.
The clashes were short-lived however as security forces with tasers managed to disperse the crowd.
However, some residents reassembled hours later and attempted again to prevent the bulldozers and heavy machinery from razing the site. Again they were unsuccessful.
The number of victims from the rockslide which occurred over a week ago has now reached 82 as eight bodies were pulled from beneath the rubble Saturday, only five of them in one piece.
Residents say that there are still hundreds of bodies under the debris and reject plans to demolish the disaster site.
Eight days on, and it is highly unlikely that there are any survivors left beneath the rubble.
Tensions between the residents and security forces in the area have been constant since security forces cordoned off the disaster site last Wednesday.
The government’s inability to swiftly deal with the crisis has led to anger and criticism across the board. Residents have clashed with security officers at the scene over the past few days in protest at the inefficiency of the rescue response.
