The death toll from a multi-storey building collapse in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, has climbed to 18. At least 24 people were injured in the incident. The incident took place on Saturday morning local time, confirmed Egypt’s state news agency Mina.

The governor of Cairo said in a statement that the governor’s crisis room was informed at 3:00 am that a 10-storey building had collapsed. Rescuers were then quickly dispatched. They started rescuing those trapped under the rubble.

“18 people had been killed. 24 were rescued and sent to the hospital. Rescue work is still underway,” said Khalid Abdel-al, the administrative head of Cairo governorate.

Meanwhile, the police have cordoned off the whole place. Relatives are waiting around with anxiety with curious crowds. The wreckage was removed with a bulldozer.However, the cause of the collapse was not immediately known. 

A committee of engineers has been formed to look into the matter. They will inspect the structure of the building and the quality of the equipment. 

It is being feared that the real estate traders construct buildings with low-quality equipment in the ‘lure of extra profit’ without heeding the rules and regulations of building construction. Besides, extra floors were constructed without permission as per the rules and regulations of the government. For this, building collapses are more common in Egypt.