pyramids
A man and his wife have died inside a pit they dug in their bedroom in Giza, a city famed for the pyramids. Picture for illustrative purposes. Image Credit: Pexels

Cairo: An Egyptian man and his wife died after they slipped into a deep pit they had illegally excavated inside their house in search for antiquities, a local newspaper reported.

Investigations showed that the man, a fruit vendor, and his wife had fallen and died inside the pit excavated in their bedrooms in the house in Giza, a city famed for the pyramids, according to Al Watan.

The bodies of the 55-year-old man and his wife aged 40 were found in the pit, the paper added.

Their son told police his parents had dug up two pits inside the one-floor house and fallen into one of them next to their bed, resulting in their death.

In recent months, Egyptian media reported deaths in several parts of the country resulting from collapses due to illegal excavations for relics.