Ten people have been found dead so far under the rubble of a building that collapsed in Alexandria, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.

Three* apartment buildings in a west Alexandria alley fell on Saturday due to the collapse of a new unlicensed 11-story building, according to witnesses.

As the rescue effort continued, witnesses estimated that dozens of victims would be found.

The disaster happened in the working class neighborhood of Gomrok.

Three injured people have been rescued so far, including a six-year-old girl, who said her parents were still alive under the rubble.

Major General Emad Kheir, head of Alexandria's Civil Protection Department, said, “we recovered workers from under the rubble of one of the collapsed buildings. They had multiple bruises and fractures.”

Armed forces personnel and workers from Arab Contractors company have joined the rescue effort.

Rescue teams said the narrow streets were making it difficult to get to the collapsed buildings.

Buildings collapse regularly in Egypt due to building violations and bad maintenance.

In February this year, 12 died in Damietta when an old residential building that also housed a Wasat Party office collapsed. At least five died in Kafr al-Dawar, Behiera, in June, when a four-story building fell.

At least 11 people were killed in Alexandria in 2008 when another four-story building collapsed.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

* This article previously said that four apartment buildings collapsed, and was changed on 15 July 2012.