Egypt raises death toll to 19 in building collapse in Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt – Egypt’s Health Ministry says the death toll in the collapse of a building in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria has risen to 19.

The ministry released the latest figures as rescue teams continued to search Monday for survivors buried under the rubble.

An 11-story building in the poor Alexandria neighbourhood of al-Gomrouk collapsed late Saturday onto three adjacent buildings, reducing much of the structures to rubble. All of the dead and the nine people injured lived in the three smaller buildings.

Building collapses are not uncommon in Egypt, where shoddy construction is widespread in shantytowns, poor city neighbourhoods and rural areas. With real estate at a premium in big cities like Alexandria and Cairo, developers seeking bigger profits frequently violate planning permits and exceed the number of stories allowed.