Many residents had already left the building for work and school
At least five people have died when a 12-storey block of flats collapsed in Egypt's second city, Alexandria.
A 12-storey block of flats has collapsed in Egypt's second city, Alexandria, causing an unknown number of casualties, the authorities say.
Rescue workers searched through the rubble for survivors of the collapse in the eastern suburb of Loran.
Ambulances and civil defence teams rushed to the site of the collapse in the eastern suburb of Loran, sources quoted by AFP said.
Collapses happen frequently in Egypt's overcrowded urban centres, where many buildings are constructed with poor materials and regulations are flouted.
Collapses happen frequently in Egypt's many poorly constructed and overcrowded urban areas.
The area has been cordoned off and blocks nearby suffering structural damage were also evacuated.
Many structures are unauthorised and not built according to regulations.
Reports say the dead include two women and two men, as well as a four-year-old girl.
Early reports say five bodies have been pulled from the rubble although the death toll is expected to rise.
'Illegal' construction
In 2005, at least 16 people died when a building collapsed in another residential area in the Mediterranean city .
An operations room was set up to co-ordinate rescue efforts, according to Alexandria Governor Adel Labib who visited the scene of the collapse.
The block which had three extra floors added illegally collapsed onto the wall of a neighbouring school where mothers were waiting to pick up their children. />Are you in Alexandria? Have you been affected by this story? Send us your comments using the form below.
Local hospitals had been alerted to prepare for injured, Mr Labib said, quoted by the official Mena news agency.
The governor said renovation work had been going on the first floor of the block when the building started listing and collapsed.
Four people were injured, but had been rescued from the rubble.
One report, quoting official sources, said two storeys had been added illegally to the building and local authorities had ordered them to be removed, though the order had not been implemented.
In 2005, at least 16 people died when a building collapsed in another residential area in the Mediterranean city.
That block, which had had three extra floors added illegally, collapsed onto the wall of a neighbouring school as mothers were waiting to pick up their children.
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