Six buildings on al-Geish Street have been temporarily evacuated due to a landslide caused by excavation work involved with construction of the third metro line, according to Cairo Governor Abdel Azim Wazir. Residents of 51 al-Geish Street and five neighboring buildings were evacuated from their homes without their belongings after the Central Operations Room in Cairo received word of the landslide.
The landslide had an impact area 16 meters long, 8 meters wide, and 2.75 meters deep.
Governor Wazir formed a technical engineering committee to review the properties and determine the extent of the landslide's impact. Wazir released information to traffic authorities so that they could take the necessary measures to prevent traffic issues.
Dr. Magdy al-Ghabashy, a leader in the al-Mosky neighborhood, confirmed that the Ministry of Transportation and the National Authority for Tunnels coordinated to immediately begin replacing the soil and distributing payment of LE500 to each family harmed by the evacuation. Al-Gharbashy said that most residents were protected from the landslide, noting that two of the buildings had been pre-emptively evacuated for four days in anticipation of the giant drills scheduled to work in front of their houses. Residents were likewise unable to leave with their belongings.
Minister of Transportation Alaa Fahmy ordered that families whose homes were damaged be housed in a hotel for three days while repairs are completed.
Fahmy explained that the collapse in the surface crust was the result of groundwater infiltration between the drilling machine and the building site of the Bab al-Sha'aria metro station. The landslide occurred next to the station wall, in an area no larger than 10 meters. He stressed that they are working on stopping the slide, closing the gaps in the street, and performing the necessary soil replacement in order to secure the station and surrounding buildings.
Fahmy met with the evacuated families, stressing to them that the situation is under control and that buildings adjacent to the construction site are safe. He assured the families they would be able to return to their homes within a day or two at the most, and that he had ordered formation of a team of engineers to update him on the status of the buildings every six hours.
Translated from the Arabic edition.
