Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Building collapsed causing 7 fatalities

During the early hours, approximately at 05:00 local time, of Wednesday 24^th of April, a residential building collapsed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The collapse resulted in seven casualties who were asleep in a nearby house.

Due to the statement of Nigatu Mamo, spokesperson of local authorities to BBC, among the victims were children aged four, eleven, and twelve. Mamo also, expressed sorrow over the loss of lives, attributing it to a lack of air. The incident prompted an investigation by authorities to determine the cause of the collapse while rescue operations started in the affected area.

This tragic event is similar with an incident in 2022 when a building collapsed in Merkato, one of Africa's largest open markets, claiming the lives of at least six people and injuring seven others. Experts have underscored the prevalence of substandard construction and insufficient regulatory measures as the root reason behind such structural failures. They emphasize the urgent need for rigorous supervision and implementation to prevent similar tragedies in the future.