EGYPT: Government unprepared for urban disasters

CAIRO Sunday, September 07, 2008 (IRIN) - Just a few days after a fire engulfed the upper house of parliament in the heart of Cairo, the city witnessed another calamity on 6 September when a rockslide buried 50 houses in a shanty town on the east side of the capital. The crises have highlighted the government’s poor urban planning and lack of adherence to safety measures, observers say. Security officials said about eight rocks weighing about 60 tonnes each fell on al-Duweqa shanty district in...