Dubai: Three sisters were killed when their family's two-storey house collapsed in southern Egypt on Tuesday, October 20, just weeks before one of them was due to get married. Their parents were rescued from beneath the rubble.
The collapse occurred in the village of Al Fima, in the Al Fath district of Assiut governorate, where an ageing house built from mud bricks and traditional roofing materials gave way while the family was inside.
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The victims were identified as Dina Gamal Basir, 19, Dalil Gamal Basir, 15, and Radwa Gamal Basir, 13.
Emergency services, civil defence teams and ambulances were dispatched to the scene after Major General Hazem Zein, Assiut's security director, received a report that a residential building had collapsed, trapping people beneath the debris.
Rescue workers managed to pull the girls' father and mother from the wreckage, but the three sisters were found dead.
Their bodies were transferred to a hospital morgue under the authority of investigators, pending the completion of legal procedures.
One sister was preparing for her wedding
Witnesses recounted how the girls' father had rushed into the street calling for help, telling neighbours that the house had collapsed on his daughters while they slept.
One witness recalled arriving to find the building reduced to a mound of earth and debris as residents attempted to reach those trapped inside.
The tragedy was compounded by news that one of the sisters had been preparing for her wedding the following month.
Investigation into cause of collapse
Initial inspections found that the two-storey building was old and constructed from mud bricks, with a roof made from traditional materials, including palm fronds and wooden elements.
Authorities have opened an investigation to establish the circumstances and cause of the collapse.
A police report was filed and the public prosecution notified, while the relevant authorities continued examining the incident.