At least 2 killed, 6 missing as search and rescue underway in Egypt's Alexandria building collapse

Search and rescue operations have been underway till Tuesday morning for any survivors under the rubble of the 14-storey building residential building that had collapsed a day earlier in Egypt's Mediterranean city of Alexandria.

The incident, which occurred Monday morning, has so far claimed the lives of at least two, including a Sudanese national, while six others have been injured, according to the health ministry.

Six people have been reported missing by their next of kin after they had learnt about the incident that took place on Monday morning, local officials on the scene told The New Arab.

About 16 flats host residents inside the building, while an undetermined number of units are mostly rented by holidaymakers, especially during the Eid al-Adha season that kicked off on Tuesday, local TV stations reported.

Alexandria is known for being a preferred holiday destination for Egyptians during summer. A total of 12 ambulances remained on scene in anticipation of any other injuries or deaths as nearby hospitals have been placed under a state of high alert as rescue workers continued their efforts to save any possible survivors, the health ministry said.

"Preliminary investigations indicated that the collapse resulted from a vertical split in the structure of the building due to illegal construction work on the fourteenth floor, which had earlier received a demolition order by the local municipality," Alexandria governor Mohamed Taher El-Sherif told reporters on the scene.

The building dates back to the early 1970s.

The contractor in question has been arrested in the early hours of Tuesday, while the prosecutor-general opened an immediate investigation into the incident.

Alexandria, Egypt's second-largest city, accounted for more than half of building collapses in Egypt in recent years.

This year alone witnessed 22 incidents in Alexandria, killing at least 12 people, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the sister company of TNA, reported.