Online Reporter
The Herald, 14 October 1992
AT least 450 people are now known to have been killed in Monday’s earthquake in Egypt, the worst in the country’s modern history, with more than 200 buildings collapsed and around 4 000 people injured, Cairo papers report.
Interior ministry officials have said that 402 bodies have been recovered as rescue workers sift through the rubble, most from unlicenced jerry built structures.
Experts consulted by the BBC thought that a slightly more severe quake might have led to thousands of deaths in poorer areas where such buildings are common.
Egypt has denied reports from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies that up to 1000 people were killed or missing and 10 000 hurt. Most of the dead were in Cairo and Giza, two cities separated by the Nile. The epicentre of the quake, registered as 5,3 on the Richter scale, was to the south of the cities. Almost half the dead were children, said the semi-official Al-Ahram al-Massa newspaper.
A French team flew in with sensors and sniffer dogs and Kuwait sent a plane-load of food, medicine, tents and blankets for the victims of Monday’s disaster. Algeria, where earth quakes are relatively common, said it was sending doctors and specialists in earthquake rescue operations as well as supplies for the homeless.
China and Israel have also offered to help and Saudi Arabia has pledged US$50 million. Security sources said that some of the estimated 4 000 injured had died overnight and they expected more bodies to be found under the rubble.
The earthquake did some damage to many Cairo buildings and hundreds of people chose to spend last night out of doors.
“We spent the night on the street. My furniture is up there,” said a resident pointing at cracks in her ageing three-storey building.
Lessons for today:
This passage about the 1992 earthquake in Egypt teaches us several important lessons about disaster preparedness, urban planning, and international solidarity.
The earthquake had a profound impact on urban planning, both in Egypt and as a cautionary example for other rapidly urbanising regions. The quake revealed that many buildings were poorly constructed, especially in low-income areas.
Most fatalities occurred in unlicensed or “jerry-built” structures, which lacked proper engineering standards and oversight. This highlighted the urgent need for stricter building codes and enforcement mechanisms.
