Following repeated building collapses in Egypt's second city, Alexandria governor says he will order removal of building deemed hazardous to public safety.
Alexandria Governor Mohamed Abbas on Monday said he would soon issue orders for the removal of a 22-floor residential building in Alexandria's central Sidi Gaber district.
Abbas attributed the decision to the precarious state of the building, which, he said, threatened the wellbeing and safety of local residents.
Speaking to official state news agency MENA, Abbas said the move comes within the context of a wider initiative developed by Alexandria's Security Directorate aimed at demolishing buildings and structures that pose a potential threat to the citizenry.
The decision follows several recent building collapses in the coastal city, due mainly to construction violations such as the unlicensed addition of extra floors and inadequate building maintenance.
In mid-July, an 11-storey building collapsed in Alexandria's Gomrok district, causing three neighbouring buildings to follow suit, resulting in the death of 19 residents. A week later, a mother and daughter were killed in a building collapse in the city's Amereya district.
Most recently, on Thursday, two separate buildings collapsed in the El-Raml and El-Laban districts. The collapses, in which two people were reported injured, were attributed to the unlicensed addition of extra floors.
According to official state news agency MENA, there are at least 25,000 removal orders – yet to be implemented – for buildings deemed hazardous to public safety in Alexandria alone.
Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/53681.aspx
