Building Collapse in Southern Egypt Kills 3 Children

People inspect the area where a building collapsed in Gesr al-Suez, Cairo, Egypt March 27, 2021. REUTERS/Mai Shams El-Din
People inspect the area where a building collapsed in Gesr al-Suez, Cairo, Egypt March 27, 2021. REUTERS/Mai Shams El-Din
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Building Collapse in Southern Egypt Kills 3 Children

People inspect the area where a building collapsed in Gesr al-Suez, Cairo, Egypt March 27, 2021. REUTERS/Mai Shams El-Din
People inspect the area where a building collapsed in Gesr al-Suez, Cairo, Egypt March 27, 2021. REUTERS/Mai Shams El-Din

An apartment building collapsed in a southern Egyptian province on Monday, killing at least three children, the country’s state-run media reported.

Rescue teams retrieved at least nine injured from the rubble of the two-story building in the district of Ihnasiya in Beni Suef province, around 111 kilometers south of Cairo.

Two brothers, aged 8 and 12 and their 11-year-old sister were reportedly killed. Three children are among the injured.

In September, a four-story building collapsed in the city of Shoubra el-Khaima, near Cairo, killing at least three people.

The government has recently launched a crackdown on illegal building across the country, jailing violators and in many cases destroying the buildings.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.