Cairo furniture factory gutted by fire: 19 dead

Cairo - At least 19 workers died in a fire that gutted an Egyptian furniture factory north of Cairo on Tuesday, 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.

Video footage posted on social networks showed thick smoke billowing from the factory as rescuers crowded to help the victims.

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

In September 2014, six people died and 22 were injured when a textile dyeing factory collapsed in Cairo in an accident blamed on poor construction.