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Cairo landslide rescue effort continues

07/09/2008

Efforts to rescue those still buried in yesterday's deadly landslide in the Egyptian capital of Cairo are ongoing.

Yesterday at 0700 GMT dozens of houses were crushed after boulders broke off a cliff of a nearby hill and hurtled towards a shanty town. Egyptian state television is reporting that 30 people died in the accident while 46 people had suffered injuries - a significant increase in the number of casualties.

In a statement yesterday, Egypt's health ministry stated that 23 people had died in the incident while 39 others had suffered injuries.

A total of 30 houses in the area were levelled when boulders, each weighing between 60 and 70 tonnes, came down the hill above the town. Egypt's armed forces have been sent to the area as part of the rescue operation

Details of compensation for the victims are yet to be announced.