At least nine people have died after being buried under the massive rubble of a five-story apartment building in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, according to rescue workers digging through the rubble.

governed by the state Mena At least nine bodies were found on Monday under the rubble of the building in Cairo’s Hadaq al-Kubba neighborhood, about 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) from the city center, according to the news agency.

Authorities reportedly evacuated a nearby apartment building and took four survivors to the hospital Mena,

Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity has reportedly announced that the families of the nine victims of the incident will receive 60,000 Egyptian pounds ($1939).

The ministry further said it would assist the injured and is monitoring any property damage in the area.

According to local reports, police were reportedly stationed nearby as rescue workers searched through the rubble for possible survivors. It was not immediately clear what caused the building to collapse.

However, in Egypt, poor construction practices and lack of maintenance pervade slums, poor urban areas and rural areas. As a result, building collapse is a common occurrence, reports Al-Jazeera.

Four people were killed and 13 others injured when a building collapsed in northern Egypt on Sunday, while in June, a 13-storey building collapsed in the coastal city of Alexandria, killing 10 people.

Additionally, when an apartment building collapsed in Cairo in 2021, at least 18 people were killed and many others were injured.

After decades of lax enforcement, the government has only recently tried to crack down on unauthorized structures. Officials are also creating new towns and neighborhoods for those currently living in high-risk areas.

Developers looking to make more money often violate building permits in major cities such as Cairo and Alexandria, a Mediterranean city. Unauthorized government additions of additional storeys are frequent.