Bridge collapse kills one in Cairo

2014-02-11 1

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

A police officer was killed and two people injured when an overpass partially collapsed in Cairo early on Tuesday (February 11) morning.

Egypt's state news agency said the collapse of a portion of the Mansour bridge in Cairo's eastern al-Marg district was caused by the explosion of a gas cylinder and the resulting fire.

Firemen and rescue workers sifted through the rubble on Tuesday after the pre-dawn collapse of the bridge.

Some local residents said that the overpass extension was already weak and had been under repair for some time.

The overpass collapse led to the temporary closing of two local metro stations.

Deadly accidents resulting from the country's poorly maintained infrastructure are commonplace in Egypt, where frequent train accidents and building collapses have led to public outrage.