At least 20 killed in Egypt factory fire

 

At least 20 people were killed and 24 others injured on Thursday after a fire broke out in a garment factory located to the north of Cairo, Egypt.

According to a Reuters report citing the local governor’s office, the fire started in a four-story factory in El-Obour City at about 11 a.m. local time (0900 GMT).

Emergency personnel were deployed to the factory in response and the fire was brought under control.

Survivors were taken to various hospitals nearby.

Egypt has had a string of fires in recent years, as shoddy buildings have been constructed without safety standards amid a security vacuum following its 2011 revolution.

Last month, a fire in an unlicensed shoe warehouse in the capital’s twin city Giza engulfed a 13-storey building overlooking a major highway. Residents were evacuated but no casualties were reported.