Egypt hands 5-year sentence to Cairo deputy governor for 2008 rock slide that killed 119
By APWednesday, May 26, 2010
Egypt sends official to prison in fatal rock slide
CAIRO — An Egyptian court has convicted the Cairo deputy governor in the 2008 rock slide that killed 119 people on the outskirts of the city and sentenced him to five years in prison.
The state MENA news agency says the court found Mahmoud Yassin and seven lesser officials guilty of manslaughter.
The court on Wednesday also sentenced the seven other officials to three-year prison terms.
Yassin was in charge of the Dweiqa slum, where the fatal slide took place in September 2008.
Giant rocks raced down from a cliff, smashing the shantytown and burying dozens under the rubble. The incident drew a public outcry and the slum’s families appealed to authorities for safer housing.
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