Egypt apartment collapse kills 25

Egyptians stand in rubble after an eight story building collapsed in Alexandria, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. Egypt’s official MENA news agency says at least fourteen people have been killed. It was not immediately known what caused the building to collapse, but violations of building specifications have been blamed in the past for similar accidents. (AP Photo)
Egyptians stand in rubble after an eight story building collapsed in Alexandria, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. Egypt’s official MENA news agency says at least fourteen people have been killed. It was not immediately known what caused the building to collapse, but violations of building specifications have been blamed in the past for similar accidents. (AP Photo)

— An eight-story apartment building collapsed Wednesday in the port city of Alexandria, killing at least 25 people in the second deadly accident to hit the country in as many days, according to police and health officials.

Mohammed el-Sharqawy, a senior official at the Health Ministry, said at least 12 people also were injured and that rescue teams were searching for survivors under the rubble. Military police from a nearby naval base cordoned off the area to help the rescue operation.

The collapse came a day after 19 police conscripts were killed when the last car of the train they were riding in jumped the tracks and smashed into another train just outside Cairo.

The wreck sparked protests in several cities where demonstrators complained that the new government is failing to carry out changes and overhaul the nation’s deteriorating public services.

President Mohammed Morsi’s government has blamed Tuesday’s train accident on what officials say is nearly 30 years of corruption and misrule under Hosni Mubarak. Transport Minister Hatem Abdel-Lateef said at another news conference that overhauling the country’s railways would cost the equivalent of about $2.3 billion, a hefty sum for a nation reeling from two years of political and economic turmoil.

Also, a taxi collided with a moving train Wednesday in a low-income area in Giza, killing four passengers in the cab, including a child, security officials said. According to an initial investigation, the taxi rammed through a ground level rail-crossing barrier and was hit by the train.

The taxi driver survived but fled the scene, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Hundreds of residents gathered at the site of the crash.

It was not immediately clear what caused the building to collapse in a poor district of Alexandria, but violations of building specifications have been blamed for similar accidents in the past. The governor of Alexandria, Mohammed Abbas Atta, told Egypt’s official news agency that the building was constructed without a permit.

Abul Ezz el-Hariri, an opposition lawmaker from Alexandria, warned that hundreds of buildings in the city could face the same fate, but lax law enforcement after the ouster two years ago of Mubarak means that no action is being taken against building violations.

That the building collapsed early in the day meant that most tenants were home. Police evacuated residents of two adjacent buildings out of concern that the collapse may have caused structural damage to them.

Late Wednesday, Morsi’s administration sought to defuse the mounting criticism, declaring its solidarity with the victims of the train wreck and the building collapse. Spokesman Yasser Ali said the presidency offer edits condolences to the victims’ families and pledged to ensure that they and the survivors received the best available care.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. John McCain said Wednesday that he has expressed strong disapproval to Morsi about his past comments about Jews. Despite an uproar in Washington over the remarks, he said he and other congressmen will press for more aid to Egypt’s ailing economy.

A congressional delegation led by McCain met with Morsi a day after the White House strongly denounced his remarks as “deeply offensive.” Morsi made the comments in a 2010 speech, as a leader in the Muslim Brotherhood before he became president, but they resurfaced recently when aired on an Egyptian TV show.

In the video, Morsi refers to “Zionists” as “bloodsuckers who attack Palestinians” as well as “the descendants of apes and pigs.” He also called President Barack Obama a liar.

Presidential spokesman Ali said Morsi told the delegation Wednesday that the remarks were taken out of context, aimed at criticizing Israeli policies, and not Jews. Morsi told them distinction must be made between criticism of what he called the “racist” policies of the Israelis against the Palestinians and insults against the Jewish faith.

Morsi told them the remarks were part of a speech against Israeli aggression in Gaza and “assured them of his respect for monotheistic religions, freedom of belief and the practice of religions.”

McCain said the delegation voiced its disapproval and had a “constructive discussion” with Morsi.

“We leave it to the president to make any further comments on this matter that he may wish,” the Arizona Republican said.

McCain told reporters the congressional delegation will push for an additional $480 million in budget assistance to Egypt.

“All of us are supportive,” he said. “We are working hard to try to see that this money is forthcoming.” Information for this article was contributed by Maggie Michael and Sarah El Deeb of The Associated Press.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 01/17/2013

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