Egypt: Fire in a textile factory, nearly 20 casualties

The fire at the factory in El Obour came just days after a tractor-trailer crashed into a minibus, killing at least 18 people and injuring five others south of Cairo.

According to the announcement of the local Governor's Office, the cause of the fire has not yet been determined. The fire broke out at a four-story factory in El Obour, north of Cairo, Egypt. At least 15 fire engines were dispatched to the scene to control the blaze, while ambulances carried the casualties to hospitals near the site of the blaze, AP news agency reported.

The notice added that a team of experts is currently reviewing the damage and trying to thoroughly assess the impact the fire could have on neighboring buildings in the area. Egyptians are still waiting for more specific information about the fire. According to reports, the fire started at the factory in the city of El Obour at around 11am on March 11 and was brought under control after that.

The fire at the factory in El Obour came just days after a tractor-trailer crashed into a minibus, killing at least 18 people and injuring five others south of Cairo. The crash happened late on Tuesday on a highway near the town of Atfih, about 100km south of Cairo, Egypt's prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The road east of the Nile connects Cairo with the southern provinces of Egypt and is said to have a high speed of traffic. Police officials said the truck's tire exploded, causing the vehicle to overturn and collide with the minibus. The victims were taken to nearby hospitals, and the truck driver was detained. According to reports, traffic accidents claim the lives of thousands of people in Egypt every year.

Earlier, on December 27, a fire at a Covid-19 treatment hospital in Egypt killed 7 people. The fire broke out at 9am (local time) at Misr Al Amal Hospital in El Obour, 30 kilometers northeast of central Cairo. The cause was initially determined to be an electrical short. The hospital was evacuated and closed. The patients were temporarily transferred to a public hospital in Cairo.

In July, a huge fire broke out with an oil pipeline in Egypt, causing smoke to rise and dozens of cars were burned. Dozens of firefighters worked to put out the massive fire.

Video of the burst oil pipeline fire circulating on social media showed plumes of black smoke billowing up on the highway linking Cairo to Ismailia, on the Suez Canal.

The Egyptian Ministry of Health said that 17 people with burns and smoke inhalation were taken to hospital for treatment. All hospitals near the fire area are preparing to receive more injured people.

Information about the pipeline fire, the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum said that a stream of crude oil leaked from the broken Shuqair-Mostorod pipeline and spilled onto the main road. On the road, heavy traffic caused the fire to break out. Authorities are currently working to find a way to close the main valves and put out the fire.

The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and the country's public prosecutor will investigate to determine the exact cause of the pipeline rupture.

In an interview with Egypt's private Sada al-Balad television station, the president of the pipeline company, Emad Abdel-Qader, said that preliminary information suggests an external factor could be Causes of oil pipeline rupture.

Egypt is not a major oil exporter in the world but crude and petroleum products flow through the Suez Canal on a daily basis. Jordan and neighboring Israel rely on Egypt's oil pipelines to meet their energy needs.

Leaks in oil pipelines are common in Egypt because the infrastructure tends to be prone to failures. According to ABC News, with a third of the population living in poverty, people sometimes puncture pipes to get fuel to sell on the black market.

One such pipeline failure happened last fall in Egypt. Thieves tried to get gasoline in the Nile Delta province of Beheira and the leaked fuel caught fire, killing seven people.

Egypt has witnessed a sharp increase in the number of Covid-19 cases at the end of 2020. The total number of cases since the beginning of the epidemic season has reached 130,126, including more than 7,300 deaths. Health officials say the true number is likely much higher due to low testing rates and many private test results that have not been included in official statistics.

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