Sierra Leone: A seven-storey building collapsed - at least 15 fatalities

Last week, on Monday 16^th of September around 11:00 a.m. local time a seven-storey building in Freetown, Sierra Leone collapsed claiming at least 15 lives. Three children under the age of five were among the fatalities. According to the authorities, rescue teams with the aid of two cranes arrived at the site and they started clearing the area to reach people that were trapped beneath the debris.

Later, the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), added that the rescuers had managed to save 8 individuals. However, they fear that more people remain buried under the collapsed building. Furthermore, authorities stated that trapped people communicated with the rescuers at the early stage of the operation.

As of present, the reason of the collapse remains still unknown. However, it should be noted that Siera Leona is one of the poorest countries worldwide, hence, they use poor quality materials during the construction process. One more problem is that the owners hire unqualified and inexperienced contractors. The head of NDMA, Brima Sesay, highlighted the importance of informing the public about the dangers of not constructing buildings with appropriate materials and following construction regulations. He urges that the effort to raise awareness and protect the public from future collapses is continuous.