Roof collapses on Egypt building, kills 3-year-old

CAIRO (AP) — The roof of a six-story building collapsed on Friday in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, killing a three-year-old child, an Egyptian security official said.

Maj. Gen. Amin Ezz el-Din, security head of Alexandria, said another person was injured and three cars were damaged when part of the roof collapsed into the sixth-floor apartment in the eastern Montazah neighborhood.

He said the building was old and at full occupancy.

Building collapses are not uncommon in Egypt, where shoddy construction is widespread in shantytowns, poor city neighborhoods and rural areas. With real estate at a premium in big cities like Alexandria and Cairo, developers seeking bigger profits frequently violate planning permits.