A 35-year-old man died while trying to illegally excavate for ancient artefacts in Alexandria on Thursday, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.
The man was digging in an empty lot along with three other people in the district of Kafr Abdou in eastern Alexandria and had dug a six-metre deep hole when he was engulfed in sand, leading to his death.
Authorities seized the digging equipment used by the group and placed guards in the area.
Prosecutors are investigating the three others involved.
Illegal digging for antiquities and other forms have looting have reportedly been on the rise in Egypt in the years since the 2011 revolution.
