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Mall fire in New Cairo
Two people died and seven others were injured when an elevator malfunction triggered a fire in a restaurant inside a popular shopping center in the east of Cairo, according to EFE sources of security and local media.
“Al menos dos personas murieron este jueves y otras siete resultaron heridas”
The incident occurred in the New Cairo area, where the elevator collapse caused a fire in one of the restaurants, and the Defense Civil said the fire was under control and units evacuated the building.
The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, while authorities began an investigation to determine the circumstances of the accident.
The episode came two days after at least five people died in an earlier fire caused by the explosion of a gas cylinder in a restaurant in the Cairo Islamic area, and CAPMAS data cited by EFE said Egypt recorded 46.925 accidental fires in 2024, with the Cairo province the most affected due to population density and commercial activity.
Explosion, elevator, and injuries
Shafaq News said Cairo Egyptian media reported that two people were killed and 12 others were injured after a gas cylinder explosion caused a fire inside a restaurant and a drop of an elevator in a mall in the Nasr City area.
Shafaq News added that the bodies of the two victims and the injured were transported to hospital, while the investigating prosecutor’s office examined the circumstances of the incident.
The same report said security forces imposed a security cordon around the site and the mall was evacuated as a precaution while authorities continued examining the circumstances and taking legal measures.
Al-Jazeera Net likewise said two people were killed and 12 others were injured in a fire and explosion inside a restaurant in a shopping center in the Fifth Settlement area east of Cairo, attributing the incident to a gas cylinder explosion and reporting that Civil Defense received a call from residents.
Emergency response and uncertainty
Al-Masry Al-Youm, as cited by Al-Jazeera Net, said the Civil Defense and the Health Agency dispatched 10 fire engines and 5 ambulances to the site, and that a state of maximum emergency was announced nearby to contain flames and prevent them from spreading to neighboring units and shops.
“10 fire engines and 5 ambulances”
Al-Jazeera Net also reported that rescue teams swept the site to ensure there were no people trapped amid thick smoke, while security authorities cordoned off the area to keep citizens away and facilitate access for fire and ambulance vehicles.
The same Al-Jazeera Net account said local reports differed on what happened first, with Al-Youm Al-Sabea saying the cause was a gas cylinder explosion while other reports stated the elevator collapsed first and then the fire broke out.
Al-Jazeera Net concluded that official authorities had not yet issued final details about the circumstances of the incident, even as videos circulated showing destruction and debris inside one of the restaurants in the mall.