Toll in Tanzania building collapse rises to 13, survivors trapped

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. Agence France-Presse

DAR ES SALAAM — Tanzanian rescue workers dug through the ruins of a collapsed building for a second day on Sunday, hoping to pull survivors from beneath the rubble in a disaster that has claimed 13 lives.

The four-story block came down at around 9:00 am (0600 GMT) on Saturday in the east African country’s busy Kariakoo market, in the centre of the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

Thirteen people have been confirmed dead, the presidency said Sunday, up from an initial figure of five.

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At least 84 people had been rescued from the rubble, President Samia Suluhu Hassan said in a video from Brazil, where she travelled to attend the G20 summit.

Dar es Salaam regional commissioner Albert Chalamila said earlier Sunday that more people were still trapped in the basement floor of the shattered building, without specifying how many.

“We are communicating… and already we have supplied them with oxygen and water,” he said. “They are stable and we believe they will be rescued alive and safe.”

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Fire brigade chief John Masunga said the search and rescue operations had been hampered by the many walls making up the structure of the building.

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

Hassan said the immediate focus was on the rescue efforts, and a “thorough” audit led by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa of the condition of all buildings in Kariakoo would follow.

“The police should also get all the details about the collapsed building from the owner and know what was exactly happening,” she said.

In the immediate aftermath of the collapse, hundreds of first responders used sledgehammers or their bare hands to search the rubble for hours before cranes and other heavy lifting equipment were brought in.

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, often with scant regard for regulations.

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