Deadly rockslide hits Cairo homes

[ukmum]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/7601761.stm
Deadly rockslide hits Cairo homes
People at the site of the rock slide (6/9/08)

At least 20 people have been killed by a rockslide which destroyed homes in Cairo, emergency services say.

Dozens of houses in the shanty town east of central Cairo were hit by huge boulders and rocks, reports said.

Witnesses said a six-storey building in the impoverished Duwayqa district below the Muqattam hills had been completely reduced to rubble.

Some people are believed to be still trapped in the rubble and police have cordoned off the area.

At least 20 people are reported to have been injured and the number of casualties is expected to rise.

Reports said that at least eight boulders - each estimated to weigh about 70 tonnes - had fallen from the towering cliffs overlooking the district at about 0900 local time (0700 GMT).

"It was horror," said Hassan Ibrahim Hassan, 80, whose house escaped the destruction.

Distraught residents

"The power went out, we heard a loud bang like an earthquake and I thought this house had collapsed. I went out, I saw the whole mountain had collapsed."

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Witnesses described seeing hundreds of distraught people gathered around the site of the destruction, saying they had relatives and friends trapped under the rubble.

Some were scrabbling at the rocks with their bare hands.

The remains of the town have been covered by a thick layer of dust.

Rescue teams were forced to wait for the arrival of cranes and heavy lifting equipment to allow them to move the huge rocks."I couldn't find my house this morning," said Mustafa Abdel-Fatah. "I could only see rocks on top of everything."

It was not clear what had triggered the rockfall but a BBC correspondent says there have been previous landslides in the area.







Mayerling, hope you and yours are safe and well.

[Mayerling]

Thanks for the concern ukmum.

These boulders hit and destroyed about 50 home in a shanty town under the hills.

The authorities are attempting to evacuate other areas but residents are refusing to move from their homes.

My husband's company has a huge project in the Moquattam Hills and so they are most concerned about this.

We shall see who responds faster in providing aid as regards medical attention, food, water and shelter. Usually the Muslim Brotherhood ( who are dedicated, discipline, organized and extremely professional) beat the govt.

We are in the middle of Ramadan and the opening of the school year. Inflation plus the expenditures imposed by school and Ramadan place enormous financial stress on the middle and lower class. This could turn quite ugly if the govt doesn't get its act together .

[stephanie]

Oh... I didn't even think about Ramadan causing a delay in aid. I have noticed that the daytime fasting tends to increase irritability and such in some of my friends as they go about their duties during the holidays. This could very well turn ugly.

Luck to you and yours, Mayerling.

[Arianwen]

Holy Crap!

[Mayerling]

No Stephanie,

The govt just doesn't respond well period in the face of most disasters ( although they do a fantastic job when it involves foreigners or tourists).

The reference to ramadan was just to underscore that the majority of the country are under extremely tight budgets as even the poor have to buy books and uniforms for the "free" ( and over crowded public school which has 3 sessions a day) plus getting meat on the table each night for a month.

The govt had better respond quickly before the MB does--- as it always has in the past.

[ukmum]

Glad you are OK. The news here in the UK is quite scathing (in a BBC kind of way) about the lack of response from the Government. lack of big moving equipment etc

[Mayerling]

Yes ukmum,

I just checked the news myself and it seems that the govt is responding as it always does with its citizens--- by not responding.

It will be interesting to see what the late night talk host egyptian cable shows have to say about this.

This is not looking good at all.

Here is what I predict:

MB will respond rapidly--- will try to respond rapidly and may be thwarted by the military and poiice.
Look for detentions of MB members in the coming weeks.