ALBAWABA - A massive fire broke out Monday evening at the Ramses Central Exchange in downtown Cairo, temporarily disrupting telecommunications and internet services in several areas.
The Egyptian Ministry of Health posted a statement that the number of injured people who were transferred to the Coptic, Sednawy, El-Monira, El-Hilal, and El-Demerdash University hospitals reached 27.
The ministry added that emergency services were provided for suffocation cases without the need for transportation. Civil Protection Forces were able to recover four bodies from the accident site.
Preliminary reports, 14 people were injured and taken to the Coptic Hospital for treatment.
The Egyptian Ambulance Authority quickly dispatched 17 fully equipped vehicles to assist in the firefighting efforts, while Civil Defense teams, in cooperation with Telecom Egypt's technical teams, worked to contain the blaze and cut off power to the entire building as a precautionary measure, Al-Arabiya reported.
Moreover, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority announced that work is underway to gradually restore service over the next few hours, while stressing the need to continue identifying all those affected and taking the necessary steps to compensate them.
The authority indicated that the Minister of Communications and all relevant authorities are monitoring the situation closely to ensure the repercussions of the incident are contained and any further impact on services is avoided.
The Ministry of Health announced that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar is closely monitoring the developments of the fire and has directed the ministry's central crisis room to convene around the clock to ensure accurate monitoring and provide the necessary support.
