by Chrispus C. Macauley
The National Disaster Manager Agency has confirmed that six survivors have been rescued while eight victims have been confirmed dead (three adult males, two adult females, two young girls under five, and one young boy under five)
Rescue workers are desperately racing against time to save those trapped under the collapsed building at Shell New Road.
On Monday 16th September 2024 at around lunchtime, reports broke out of a story (over two-story) building that collapsed with several individuals trapped under rubble.
The reason for the collapse is yet to be known. However, in a bid to save survivors, a rescue operation has been mounted.
According to an eyewitness, the said building (over a two-story building) is a newly constructed structure that has stores and dwelling apartments, with business people having rented stores for business there. It was also revealed that some business people had commenced business in their shops, and all are believed to be trapped under the rubble.
It will take the next three to four days to complete the rescue mission and pull out those trapped under the rubble. A few children have been pulled out alive, but are in critical condition and have been transferred to hospital.
President Bio in a tweet has extended a condolence message to the victims and their families.
“I am saddened to learn about the collapse of a building at Shell, Kissy, east of Freetown. This is a devastating loss. My condolences go out to all those who have lost loved ones.” he expressed
In a bid to speed up the rescue mission, hospitals in the community have sent out their nurses to give medical support to potential survivors and help affected relatives.
In the last month, Sierra Leone has recorded over four structural collapses, which the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has attributed to substandard building materials. NDMA officials say that this is too early to jump to any conclusion and will be conducting an investigation into the cause of this deadly incident.
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