Egypt jails government officials over Cairo rockslide

A Cairo deputy governor has been sentenced to five years in jail over the deaths of 119 people when a rockslide hit a slum area he was responsible for.

Large boulders crashed down a hillside smashing into makeshift houses in the Egyptian capital in September 2008.

The court found Mahmoud Yassin guilty of negligence. Seven other officials got three years each.

The sentences come after a long government investigation.

The incident caused public outcry and drew condemnation from human rights groups.

Amnesty International said last year that the government investigation into the deadly rockslide in the Duwayqa area was flawed.

The court found that the accused ignored studies warning that waste seepage could cause the hillside to collapse and that the residents should be moved to a safe distance, AFP news agency reported.