BBC News Online: World: Middle East

Fatal building collapse in Egypt

Fifteen people have also been injured in the accident, according to police officials.

Police are unsure how many people were in the five-storey building at the time of the collapse, and rescue workers are still searching for survivors.

Several couples were reported to be in a hair salon in the building when the disaster happened, and police said a bride and groom are among the dead.

The building overlooked the Nile in the centre of Damietta, 168 kilometres (105 miles) north-east of Cairo.

The cause of the collapse has yet to be confirmed, but building collapses are not unusual in Egypt.

They are often blamed on lax building regulations leading to shoddy construction and unauthorised extra extension work.