CAIRO: A fire that broke out inside the old Ministry of Religious Endowments building in the downtown area of Cairo was brought under control by seven fire engines from the General Administration of Civil Protection.
Mohammed Mokhtar Gomaa, the Egyptian minister of religious endowments, inspected the firefighting process two hours after the blaze started, and thanked the civil protection team for its dedication to work, swift action, and control of the fire. No injuries were reported.
The minister referred the incident’s investigation to the Public Prosecution and the Administrative Prosecution.
The building was empty as the ministry had moved to its new building in the New Administrative Capital on July 1.
The minister has instructed those concerned, based on the recommendations of the Council of Ministers, to continue maintenance contracts for the old building.
Abdullah Hassan Abdel-Qawi, assistant minister of endowments for administrative affairs, confirmed that no one was injured in the incident and that damage to the building was being assessed by specialized committees.
The ministry has stressed that it will wait for reports from the security services regarding the causes of the fire before deciding on its next course of action.
A source told Arab News: “Immediately after the outbreak of the fire was reported, four ambulances were dispatched to the accident site in anticipation of the presence of injured people, but no casualties were reported. There were no casualties inside the building due to it being vacant.”
The incident emphasizes the importance of safety measures in institutional buildings, especially those that may not be currently occupied.
It also highlights the coordinated efforts of various authorities when responding to emergencies and ensuring the well-being of the community.
Firefighters control blaze at old Ministry of Religious Endowments building in Cairo
https://arab.news/zucp9
Firefighters control blaze at old Ministry of Religious Endowments building in Cairo
- Mohammed Mokhtar Gomaa, the Egyptian minister of religious endowments, inspected the firefighting process two hours after the blaze started
- The minister referred the incident’s investigation to the Public Prosecution and the Administrative Prosecution
Sudan paramilitary drone strike on school kills two children: medical source
- Since it began, the war has killed tens of thousands and left around 11 million people displaced
KHARTOUM: A drone strike blamed on Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces killed two children and injured 12 others Wednesday in the southern city of El-Rahad, a medical source told AFP.
El-Rahad lies in Sudan’s Kordofan region, currently the fiercest battlefield in the war raging between the RSF and the regular army since April 2023.
“I saw a dozen students injured,” Ahmed Moussa, an eyewitness to the attack, told AFP, adding that the drone had struck a traditional Qur'anic school.
El-Rahad, in North Kordofan state, was retaken by the army last February, as part of a rapid offensive that saw it push west to break a long-running siege on state capital El-Obeid.
The RSF has been trying to re-encircle El-Obeid since, including by launching successive drone strikes on the main highway out of the city, which connects the western region of Darfur with the capital Khartoum.
Since it began, the war has killed tens of thousands and left around 11 million people displaced, creating the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises.
It has also effectively split the country in two, with the army holding the north, center and east while the RSF and its allies control the west and parts of the south.
