<p>CAIRO — A nine-story apartment building collapsed in the Egyptian capital early Saturday, killing at least five people and injuring about two dozen others, an official said.</p>
<p>Rescue workers were searching for any survivors trapped under the rubble of the building in the el-Salam neighborhood, said Khalid Abdel-Al, the administrative head of Cairo governorate.</p>
<p>At least 24 others were injured and taken to hospitals, he said in a statement.</p>
<p>Police cordoned off the area, keeping back the curious and people apparently looking for relatives in the building. Workers were seen using bulldozers to clear away debris.</p>
<p>It was not immediately clear what caused the building’s collapse. An engineering committee was formed to examine the structural integrity of neighboring buildings, Abdel-Al said.</p>
<p>Building collapses are not uncommon in Egypt, where shoddy construction is widespread in shantytowns, poor city neighborhoods and rural areas.</p>
<p>With real estate at a premium in big cities like Cairo and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, developers seeking bigger profits frequently violate building permits. Extra floors often are added without proper government permits.</p>
<p>The government has recently launched a crackdown on illegal building across the country, jailing violators and in many cases destroying the buildings.</p>
