A four-year old boy was killed when a residential building collapsed in Cairo's Abbasiya district near the Orthodox Cathedral, health ministry spokesperson Hossam Abd-Elghafar told Ahram Online.

Three people were injured, including a one-year old infant who was saved after being stuck in the debris for a period of time following the collapse.

The three-story building that collapsed was already deemed dangerous by Cairo governorate authorities, deputy-governor of Cairo Mohamed Abdel-Tawab told Ahram Arabic website.

Abdel-Tawab added that an official order had been previously issued to demolish the building.

It is not uncommon for buildings to collapse in Egypt, often due to their age, illegal extensions and failure to comply with building regulations.