CAIRO: Three brothers died while excavating antiquities in a crypt under a mechanic workshop in the Shebin el-Kom city of Menoufia, Youm7 reported.
The bodies of the brothers, aged 30, 33, and 38, were extracted and transferred to a hospital.
Menoufia, which lies in the Delta, is home to several archeological sites, being an ancient city that dates back to the Pharaonic era.
Illegal excavation and antiquities trafficking spread rampantly after the January 25 Revolution in 2011, with Egypt losing many priceless Pharaonic and Islamic antiquities due to the security vacuum. Although the practice has decreased due to tightened security, illegal excavation, which has existed in Egypt for centuries, is still discovered.
Because there is not an inventory of all of Egypt’s treasures, it is difficult to prove that some antiquities were exported illegally.