Toll in Tanzania Building Collapse Rises to 16, Survivors Trapped

Rescuers worked to reach people still trapped in a collapsed building in Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam on Monday, with the death toll rising to 16.

Emergency crews and first responders gather for rescue operations at the site of a collapsed four-story building in Dar es Salaam on November 16, 2024. – At least five people were killed and dozens injured after a four-storey building collapsed in the centre of Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam on November 16, 2024, rescuers said. (Photo by Gidulaus Amosi / AFP)

“Rescue operations are ongoing because some people are still trapped in the building,” said Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa during a ceremony for the victims.

“We are communicating with some of the trapped people and hear their voices,” he said, adding that 86 people had been rescued so far.

The four-storey block came down early on Saturday in the busy Kariakoo market.

Majaliwa said a team of 19 experts had been appointed to inspect high-rise buildings in the area.

It is not clear why the building collapsed but witnesses told local media that construction to expand its underground business space began on Friday.

Emergency crews and first responders gather for rescue operations at the site of a collapsed four-story building in Dar es Salaam on November 16, 2024. – At least five people were killed and dozens injured after a four-storey building collapsed in the centre of Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam on November 16, 2024, rescuers said. (Photo by Gidulaus Amosi / AFP)

The incident has renewed criticism over unregulated construction in the Indian Ocean city of more than five million people.

One of the world’s fastest growing cities, Dar es Salaam has been the scene of a frenetic property boom with buildings shooting up quickly.

In 2013, a 16-storey building collapsed in the city, killing 34 people.

str-er/kjm

© Agence France-Presse