Dubai: At least six people, including three children, were killed and seven others injured when an occupied residential building collapsed in Cairo early on Wednesday, Egyptian media reported.
The five-storey building collapsed in the Hadayek Al Qobba district, prompting a major rescue operation as civil defence teams searched through the rubble for people feared trapped.
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Emergency services dispatched rescue teams, ambulances and heavy equipment to the site on Al Khaleej Street after receiving reports of the collapse.
Rescuers recovered the bodies of six victims from beneath the debris, while seven injured people, including a child, were taken to Al Zaytoun Specialist Hospital for treatment.
Authorities evacuated neighbouring residential buildings as a precaution and cut off gas, electricity and water supplies to prevent further danger.
The collapsed building was an old structure built in the 1950s, comprising a ground floor and four upper floors with load-bearing walls, according to Cairo Governorate.
Engineering teams were deployed to inspect the structural safety of surrounding buildings and assess any damage caused by the collapse.
The governorate’s executive authorities are also installing temporary steel supports for neighbouring buildings, which have been evacuated as a precaution to protect passers-by and residents’ property.
Egyptian prosecutors launched an investigation and ordered the formation of an engineering committee to determine the cause of the collapse.
Investigators will examine the building's structural records, establish whether any previous repair or demolition orders had been issued and determine whether they were enforced.
Witnesses and survivors will also be questioned as rescue teams continue searching for possible missing people.