Others were injured as the eight-story building collapsed, reports said. The cause of the collapse¹ is not yet clear.

 

The incident came a day after 19 conscripts were killed when a military train carrying new recruits derailed south of Egypt's capital, Cairo,

 

That accident sparked several protests accusing the government of failing to overhaul⁵（详细检查） Egypt's aged⁶ public services.

 

Building collapses⁷ are not uncommon⁸ in Egypt because of lax（松懈的） building standards, analysts⁹ say.

 

The collapse happened in the early hours of Wednesday when most tenants¹⁰（房客） were thought to be at home, reports said.

 

Alexandria's security chief, police Maj Gen Abdel-Mawgood Lutfi, said the 24-flat block was built five years ago. 

 

Rescue workers used mechanical diggers to search through the rubble¹¹ for survivors¹², while neighbouring buildings were evacuated¹³ as a precaution.

 

Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Qandil visited the scene of Tuesday's derailment（出轨） but had to leave after being abused by bystanders angry at his government's failure to improve railway safety and infrastructure¹⁴.

 

Egypt's roads and railways have a notoriously poor safety record.

 

Last November 50 children died when a train hit their school bus near Manfalut, 350km south of Cairo, after a signal operator fell asleep.

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