Alexandria is crumbling into the sea at an unprecedented rate

The historic Egyptian city of Alexandria is crumbling due to rising sea levels, scientists have found.

Over the past decade, the rate at which buildings have collapsed along the ancient city's seafront has increased from around one per year to as many as 40 per year, according to a study published Feb. 12 in the journal Earth's Future.

In the past 20 years, 280 buildings in this 2,300-year-old port city — known for being the birthplace of Cleopatra and the ancient home of the famed Library of Alexandria — have collapsed due to coastal erosion, and 7,000 more are at risk of collapsing in the future, according to the paper. Between 2014 and 2020 alone, 86 buildings completely crumbled, and 201 partially collapsed across the city, resulting in 85 deaths.

"The true cost of this loss extends far beyond bricks and mortar," study co-author Essam Heggy, a water scientist at the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering, said in a statement. "We are witnessing the gradual disappearance of historic coastal cities, with Alexandria sounding the alarm. What once seemed like distant climate risks are now a present reality."