By Enyichukwu Enemanna
No fewer than 38 people have sustained injuries following an inferno at a police complex in Egypt, emergency services and local media reports.
The fire at the facility in Ismailia has been brought under control by firefighters, and local hospitals have been placed on alert.
Videos posted on social media showed the building covered in flames.
An AFP report says investigation has commenced into the cause of the fire.
The fire affected parts of the headquarters of the Directorate of Security, causing it to collapse, civil defence source says.
Egypt’s health ministry has sent 50 ambulances and two military aircraft to the building, with at least 24 people being treated for asphyxiation along with two for burns.
There are concerns that the number of people injured could increase, with journalists reporting that because deaths could arise from the degrees of injuries.
Two witnesses who spoke to the Reuters news agency said that firefighters initially struggled to get the fire under control, but local media says that after more than three hours, they did manage to contain it.
Deadly fires are not uncommon in Egypt due to fire codes rarely being enforced and slow emergency response times. In August last year, a fire caused by a short circuit killed 41 people in a church in Cairo.
