Gaza shuts down border tunnels citing safety
Published yesterday (updated) 14/01/2013 17:45
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=555821

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Gaza's border authorities decided on Monday to shut
down all smuggling tunnels between the coastal enclave and Egypt until
further notice.

A spokesperson of the border authorities told a Ma'an reporter the decision
was precautionary after several tunnels have collapsed in the past week as a
result of heavy rain and stormy weather.

Palestinian civil defense crews are still searching for two workers who went
missing last week after a tunnel collapsed in Rafah in the southern Gaza
Strip as a result of heavy rain.

Another tunnel worker was killed in tunnel collapse on Sunday morning, and
three others were wounded.

The mayor of Rafah Subhi Abu Radwan told reporters on Sunday that several
smuggling tunnels under the border between Gaza's Rafah and Egypt were
damaged duringlast week's flooding.