TEMPO.CO, Matariya - An apartment building in Cairo's eastern Matariya district collapsed at 1:30am local time on Tuesday, November 26, 2014, killing at least 19 people.

Mamdouh Abdel Qader, Head of Cairo Civil Defense, said that rescuers recovered 19 victims from under the ruins. Meanwhile, Egypt's MENA news agency reported that eight people were pulled out alive.

Bulldozers deployed to remove chunks of cement, steel rods and wall ruins, witnesses said. Rescuers searched for mattresses in the hope to find survivors nearby.

"A man with his daughter was calling me saying they are trapped in darkness. I tried to call back but there was no answer," one of the neighbor said.

Officials and neighbors said that the building owner defied a court ruling and illegally built several extra floors atop the original four-story structure. There were reports saying that the building owner bribed the court to postpone the enforcement of the court order.

According to an official report, Egyptian building developers often uses cheap materials to seek huge profits. Many buildings were built without proper permits amid a nationwide housing shortage and poor government oversight.

FOX NEWS | RINDU P. HESTYA