Egypt Officials Jailed Over A Rockslide

One Cairo deputy governor has been sentenced to five years for a rockslide that happened in Cairo in September 2008. Seven other government officials were also sentenced to three years apiece. The rockslide that tore through makeshift houses in Egypt's capital was responsible for the deaths of 119 people and a great deal of property damage. After much public outcry, and a long government investigation, the court determined that the eight officials would be charged with negligence because they ignored information that wastewater seepage would cause hillside collapse. The residents should have been removed from the area before the rockslide ever hit.

Submitted By: Nora Beswick