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13 injured in Egypt parliament building fire
CAIRO - A blaze broke out in Egypt's upper house of parliament on Tuesday injuring thirteen people and prompting deployment of army firefighting helicopters, officials said. "Army helicopters are now trying to put out the fire which has spread," a security official told AFP.The fire, which broke out on the second floor of the building, spread to the third floor causing severe damage to a parliamentary archive, the official said on condition of anonymity. "Four emergency service staff were taken to a nearby hospital after suffering smoke-related injuries, and nine people who were in the building also suffered from smoke inhalation," health ministry spokesman Abdel Rahman Shahine told state television. "The injuries are not critical and there are no reports of deaths so far," he said. Shahine said that officials were working to protect the health ministry's central laboratories which are across the street. The security official said that both houses of parliament are currently on summer recess, which means few people would have been in the building at the time of the fire. "The problem is that the building is built of wood, and this helped the fire to spread. Everyone is working to bring the situation under control," Shura Council speaker Safwat al-Sherif told state television. Parliament speaker Fathi Surur said the cause of the blaze remained unclear." We still don't know what caused the fire. The technical teams will have to come and survey that," he told the television. He said that copies existed for any documents or files that may have been burnt in the fire. Witnesses said a huge black cloud hung over the building which is located in central Cairo, close to many ministries and government buildings. All roads in the area have been closed off, allowing access only to emergency services and authorities. Posted by: Steve White 2008-08-20 |
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