Four officials referred to prosecution in Sharqiya deadly building collapse

Four Egyptian officials were suspended Wednesday and referred to the prosecutor-general following the Monday deadly collapse of a six-story residential building in the country’s Sharqiya governorate that killed at least three people, state news agency MENA reported.

The officials – the deputy head of Minya El-Qamh city, the city’s two heads of engineering and the head of coordination – are being investigated for “negligence and shortcomings” in failing to supervise illegally constructed buildings in Minya El-Qamh City.

Three bodies were pulled from the rubbleon Tuesday, including two sisters – an eight-year-old and a 17-year old. Three others were rescued.

Army-backed rescue teams are currently searching for at least six others believed to be dead under the debris.

Building collapses are not uncommon in Egypt, and usually occur due to violations regarding building specifications, illegal extensions and poor construction.

The four-storey building which collapsed in Sharqiya was licensed for four storeys, but owners added two illegal floor extensions, Sharqiya’s governor said in a press statement on Tuesday.

Following the collapse, Sharqiya’s governor Khaled Saeid has ordered that some files related to building permits be locked in his office to avoid tampering.

Sources told Aswat Masriya that an adjacent under-construction structure might have impacted the foundation of the afflicted building.

 source: Aswat Masriya