Building collapse in Egypt kills 3 children

An apartment building collapsed in a southern Egyptian province on Monday, killing at least three children, the country’s state-run media reported.

Rescue teams retrieved at least nine injured from the rubble of the two-story building in the district of Ihnasiya in Beni Suef province, around 111 kilometers (69 miles) south of Cairo, according to the daily Al-Ahram.

Two brothers, aged 8 and 12 and their 11-year-old sister were killed, Al-Ahram reported. Three children are among the injured, the report said.

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It was not immediately known what caused the collapse but such incidents are common in Egypt, where shoddy construction is widespread in shantytowns, poor city neighborhoods and rural areas.

In September, a four-story building collapsed in the city of Shoubra el-Khaima, near Cairo, killing at least three people.

The government has recently launched a crackdown on illegal building across the country, jailing violators and in many cases destroying the buildings.

• MENA