Sierra Leone building collapse kills eight
Rescuers in Sierra Leone are continuing their search for survivors after a seven-storey building collapsed in Freetown, the capital, resulting in the deaths of at least eight people.
The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) of the West African country reported that six people have been rescued from the debris on Shell New Road so far, but “more people remain trapped.”
The NDMA added that some of those trapped have managed to “communicate their locations” to the rescuers.
The building, located in eastern Freetown, fell between 11:00 and 12:00 local time (12:00 and 13:00 BST) on Monday. The victims include two girls and a boy, all under the age of five.
To assist with the rescue efforts, two cranes have been deployed, complementing the teams who were previously using picks and their hands to clear the wreckage.
Local resident Mohamed Camara was seen weeping as he told AFP that his wife and three children were among those trapped in the rubble.
The cause of the collapse is being investigated.
The building was used for both residential and commercial purposes, according to initial assessments conducted by the NDMA.
The agency’s head Brima Sesay stressed the need to raise “public awareness about the risks associated with using unqualified contractors and substandard building materials”.
He also said his agency “will continue conducting vulnerability assessments to help reduce the frequency of building collapses across the country”.
Sierra Leone is one of the world’s poorest countries, and buildings are often built with substandard materials.
