A six-storey residential building in central Cairo’s Al-Waili neighborhood collapsed on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring three others, according to Egypt’s health ministry.
Emergency services, including nine ambulances, were dispatched to the scene, where rescue teams continued efforts to clear rubble and search for survivors or additional victims, said ministry spokesperson Hossam Abdel Ghaffar.
Officials revealed that a restoration order for the 1960s-built structure had been issued in 1993 but was never carried out after residents appealed the decision, state newspaper Al-Ahram reported.
As a precaution, authorities evacuated nearby buildings, Cairo’s governorate confirmed. The incident underscores ongoing challenges in maintaining aging infrastructure across Greater Cairo, a metropolis of over 26 million residents.
Building collapses in the city have become a recurring tragedy, often attributed to poor compliance with regulations and the deteriorating condition of structures, many of which date back to the 19th and early 20th centuries.