Alexandria taking all measures to avoid collapse of leaning building

The governor of Alexandria said on Thursday that all necessary measures were being taken to remove a 14-floor building in Azarita neighborhood, which began to lean heavily towards another building at dawn.

A committee was formed of university engineers and the Armed Forces and Arab Contractors Company to intervene and agree on the best way to remove the building, Governor Mohamed Sultan said at noon on Thursday, as reported by Ahram Arabic website.

Sultan said that the leaning property and the nearby buildings were evacuated. Security forces have blocked off the area and the overground tram has been halted to avoid any disturbance that could cause the building to collapse.

He added that the evacuated families are being provided with emergency housing units in coordination with social services to manage their needs. Sultan said that that those responsible for the building's hazardous condition have been referred to prosecution. 

Building collapses are commonplace in Egypt and are usually attributed to violations of building specifications, illegal extensions and lax oversight

Source: Ahram online