At Least 19 Workers Killed in Cairo Furniture Factory Fire

Cairo: At least 19 workers died in a fire that gutted an Egyptian furniture factory north of Cairo today, security and health officials said.

Twenty-two more workers suffered from burns and smoke inhalation in the blaze in the Al-Helw factory on the outskirts of the capital.

Security officials said the fire raged through the three-storey factory and its warehouse after a gas cylinder exploded.

Such accidents are relatively common in Egypt, given the dilapidated state of many buildings and failure to adhere to industrial safety norms.