12-story building collapses in Alexandria, at least 5 killed

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
At least five people were killed when a 12-story building collapsed Monday in Egypt's Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, police officials and witnesses said. At the scene Monday, rescue workers were busy sieving through the rubble. An old woman was pulled out alive from under the debris, a police official said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said residents were still believed trapped under piles of bricks and concrete slabs of the building in the eastern Al-Raml district of the city. The police could not immediately explain the reasons for the collapse, but buildings regularly collapse in Egypt, either as a result of deterioration with time or shoddy construction that fails to meet standards and regulations.