Rockslide kills at least 18 in Egyptian shanty town

Rockslide kills at least 18 in Egyptian shanty town
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Rockslide hits Egyptian village on outskirts of Cairo, at least 18 people killed

At least eight boulders, estimated to weigh at least 70 tons, bury 50 homes

NEW: Official: Locals say up to 500 people may be buried under rubble

In 1994, some 30 people were killed in another rockslide in the same area


CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Massive boulders peeled away from a cliff and buried dozens of homes in an Egyptian shanty town Saturday, killing at least 18 people, authorities said. Rescuers were digging by hand to reach any survivors

At least eight boulders, some the size of a small house, fell from the towering Muqattam cliffs outside Cairo and buried about 50 homes in the village of Manshiyet Nasr, one of many densely populated slums ringing Africa's most populous city.

The official said 35 people were injured and, according to residents, there could be up to 500 people buried under the hundreds of tons of rock that fell. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

"My whole family is underneath the rock," sobbed Anwar Ragab by phone to the Associated Press as he watched a body being pulled from under the rock. "I don't know what to do, I can't do anything -- I just want my children back."
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/09/06/egypt.rockslide.ap/index.html