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3 arrested in connection with Cairo building collapse
At least 7 killed, dozens trapped
October 28, 1996
Web posted at: 10:45 a.m. EST (1545 GMT)In this story:
- Landlord defied law, government says
- Housing shortage leads to violations
- Trapped man has legs amputated
- Related stories and sites
From Cairo Bureau Chief Gayle Young
CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Using everything from their bare hands to bulldozers, rescue workers in a Cairo suburb Monday sifted through a mountain of debris searching for dozens of residents missing since the collapse of an upscale 12-story apartment building.
(18 sec./980K QuickTime movie)
The owner of the building and two engineers who worked for him were arrested in connection with Sunday night's incident, which killed at least seven people and injured about 20. At least 20 people have been rescued from the rubble.
In 1993, building owner Rauf Wissa Ibrahim was fined the equivalent of $35,700 and ordered to rebuild the structure, which was declared unsafe. He did not do so, according to a statement from Egypt's Interior Ministry.
Landlord defied law, govt. says
The statement says Ibrahim received a permit in 1969 to build a seven-story structure and permission in 1977 to add one additional story. Instead, he built an additional five stories over the years, the government alleges, making a total of 40 apartments in the building.
The exact number of people in the building at the time of the collapse was not known, but police said that up to 100 people may be trapped in the ruins. As rescue efforts proceeded, anxious family members waited nearby for news of their loved ones. "Daddy and grandfather. They're in there," said one distraught woman.
Trapped man has legs amputated
After the first rescues were made, searchers stopped using heavy machinery for fear of further jeopardizing the remaining survivors. "I'm Mostafa. I'm Mostafa. I've got three others here with me," cried a man wedged beneath a wall. An emergency medical team amputated the man's legs after unsuccessfully trying to lift the wall with cranes.
Only a corner of the 25-year-old building remained standing. A heap of concrete chunks and steel reinforcement rods was all that remained of the rest of the building, which collapsed like the folds of an accordion.
Housing shortage leads to violations
Because of a housing shortage in Cairo, it's not unusual for landlords to add floors to existing buildings in order to create more apartments. Municipal authorities have tried to condemn unsafe structures but the task is daunting. It's estimated up to 75 percent of all new Cairo buildings are illegal.
Neighbors say workers doing renovation recently removed support columns for lower floors. "It's what we call successive collapse," said engineer Milad Hanna. "One column after the other and then that part of the building collapses."
Egyptians are increasingly frustrated with what they say are greedy landlords and lax enforcement. "The government should control these buildings because the people don't know when a building is unsafe," said one bystander.
"The landlord should be hung," said another Cairo resident. "How many innocents have been killed, how many old people and children?"
Officials say it could take a week to dig through the debris. The building is located in the Heliopolis district, about two blocks away from the residence of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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