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Rescuers in Sierra Leone are continuing to search for more survivors after a seven-storey building collapsed in the capital Freetown, killing at least eight people.<\/p>\n
The West African country’s National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) said six people had been rescued from the rubble on Shell New Road so far, but “more people remain trapped”.<\/p>\n
It added that some of those in the rubble had been “able to communicate their locations” to the rescuers.<\/p>\n
The building in eastern Freetown collapsed between 11:00 and 12:00 local time (12:00 and 13:00 BST) on Monday, the NDMA said. Two girls and a boy – all aged under five – are among the victims.<\/p>\n
Two cranes have been brought in to help the rescue teams, who were earlier seen using picks and their bare hands to try to clear the wreckage.<\/p>\n
Local resident Mohamed Camara wept as he told AFP news agency that his wife and three children were trapped in the rubble.<\/p>\n
The cause of the collapse is being investigated.<\/p>\n
The building was used for both residential and commercial purposes, according to initial assessments conducted by the NDMA.<\/p>\n
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”.<\/p>\n
He also said his agency “will continue conducting vulnerability assessments to help reduce the frequency of building collapses across the country”.<\/p>\n
Sierra Leone is one of the world’s poorest countries, and buildings are often built with substandard materials.<\/p>\n
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