DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania
Rescue teams in Tanzania say they have managed to establish contact with people who are still trapped a day after a four-storey building collapsed in the biggest city, Dar es Salaam.
They are managing to send them
supplies of water, glucose and oxygen through small gaps in the debris.
Tapping sounds have been heard
from inside the building in the city's busy Kariakoo market area.
Thirteen people are known to
have died, while 84 have so far been brought out alive, according to the latest
figures from President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
She said the prime minister
would now lead a "thorough inspection" of all buildings in the
Kariakoo area.
The president added that the
police would collect full details of the collapsed building from its owner.
Large crowds of bystanders
applauded as rescue teams ferried survivors on stretchers past huge piles of
concrete debris to take them to hospital.
Seven people were rescued on
Sunday from the building's basement, Dar es Salaam’s regional commissioner
Albert Chalamila told reporters.
"We are hopeful that more
survivors will be found," he said.
It is not clear how many
people remain trapped.
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa
said the authorities "won’t rest until we have made sure we have been able
to rescue each and every person or soul who is trapped in the rubble".
After the building first gave
way at about 09:00 local time (06:00 GMT) on Saturday morning, hundreds of
first responders used sledgehammers and their bare hands to pull away the
debris, our reporter said.
Cranes and other heavy
machinery were later brought in to help.
Fortunately, the building came
down before the market area had become too busy.
Authorities are yet to
determine the cause of the collapse, but investigations are expected to begin
once rescue efforts are complete.
Dar es Salaam is one of the
world's fastest-growing cities and reports say that building regulations are
not always enforced.
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