Cairo rock slide kills 82

AN EGYPTIAN security official says the death toll from last week's rock slide has reached 82, as workers dig tunnels in search of bodies buried beneath the massive boulders.

The rocks raced down from a cliff and smashed a shantytown on Cairo's outskirts on September 6.

Families living near the cliff's edge are appealing to authorities for safer housing. The rock slide left many of their homes with cracks and on the verge of collapse.

On Friday night, residents said the walls and roof of one house gave way. Panicked neighbours spent the night in the streets.

The security official says the area is still being evacuated. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to speak to the press.