21.   But the breakthrough came in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, a triumph that caused the Taliban to collapse like a house of cards.

22.   Divers looking at the shipwreck in recent weeks say the ship could last two more years -- or could collapse like an accordion within months.

23.   The Taliban regime collapsed like a house of cards and Kabul was left with no one to run it.

24.   The watery sac protecting one child had collapsed like shrink wrap.

25.   With the five floors collapsing like pancakes and a fire that raged for two days, some remains were so badly damaged they cannot be identified or even found.

26.   With the five floors collapsing like pancakes and a fire that burned for two days, some remains were so badly damaged they could not be identified.

27.   During the last rainy spell, for example, a European-owned stone mansion that had been structurally weakened through improper renovation collapsed like a house of cards.