At least 10 people have died after a five-storey building collapsed in Egypt’s second largest city, Alexandria, security officials reported. The building crashed to the ground on Tuesday evening and rescue workers were searching the rubble for two other people missing and feared dead. According to the government-run news agency, MENA, a mother and baby were found dead clutching each other. 10 others were found injured as rescue efforts continued Wednesday in the ruins of the five-storey building. Residents in the area said they heard a sound similar to an exploding gas container and then the building collapsed, leaving many of the residents stuck inside. The building was constructed in the centre of the Mediterranean coastal city in 1955, with a fifth floor added in 1997, in violation of the country’s building regulations, police and residents said. Last December, over 20 people died when a 12-storey building collapsed, also in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria. Building collapse is common in Egypt,perhaps due to structural defects or old age of buildings.
