[Developer]

Death toll from Egypt rockslide rises to 43

Written by Egypt News Monday, 08 September 2008 An Egyptian security official said that a total of 43 people were killed in a massive weekend rockslide in Egypt which flattened homes in a north Cairo shantytown, more than 48 hours after the tragedy
He added that 43 bodies had been recovered from under the boulders, while Egypt’s interior ministry said that 57 people had been injured.



Giant boulders crushed dozens of homes in the shantytown of Manshiyet Nasser in the early morning landslide on Saturday, burying whole families under the rubble.
For his part, the Egyptian mufti, the leader of its Sunni Muslim faithful, Sheikh Ali Gomaa said that all who died were "martyrs,"
Television reports suggested that as many as 500 people could be missing as rescuers continued in a desperate race to find survivors of the tragedy, which struck in the first week of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Rescue efforts are proceeding slowly as authorities break the giant rocks into pieces small enough to be lifted from the area.
Most of the brick-built dwellings in the district have two floors and were put up without adhering to planning regulations and without construction permits.
Some survivors refused to go to tents put up by the authorities, insisting instead on being given proper new homes.
Others, such as 60 year old Abdallah Salem whose home was unscathed by the rockslide, feared further rocks tumbling down.
According to the independent Al-Badil newspaper, Salem said that "we're afraid to sleep in our homes for fear that our fate might be the same as that of our neighbours,"
The arid Moqattam hill is broken up by chalky rock slopes, and a number of unofficial housing areas are huddled at its base, along the length of a main road into the city.
Several rockslides have happened in the area previously, the most deadly of which killed 70 people in the adjacent Zabaleen area in 1993.
"The government knew that people could die and, in spite of that, it didn't take any action," resident Waheed Rabie told the state-owned Egyptian Gazette newspaper.
Egypt has a poor track record of building safety often blamed on the flouting of construction regulations, particularly involving adding extra floors without permission.
In December, 35 people died when a 12-storey apartment block in the northern city of Alexandria collapsed as restoration work was under way on the first floor.
EGYPT NEWS

[agentyumi]

It’s really a dreadful circumstance especially to the victim’s family. Government should be responsible to this. People elected them to guard and protect the rights of civilians but they failed. Hope this incident won’t happen again.

[Developer]

thnx for ur pass the topic and me too hope that will be not more accident