BAMAKO, Sept 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Fifteen people were confirmed dead after a day of rescue in the remains of a three-storey building which collapsed in Mali’s capital Bamako, an official said.
The residential building, which was under construction but was inhabited, fell down in the early hours of Sunday, and the death toll rose throughout the day as firefighters extracted men, women and children from the rubble.
Twenty-six people survived, Major Baba Cisse, a spokesperson for the minister of security, said. Most of those sustained injuries, state radio ORTM reported.
The government said a lack of respect for construction standards was the likely cause of the collapse.
“There are many mistakes… at the root of this tragedy. One cannot construct buildings haphazardly,” said security minister General Salif Traore.
“Thanks to the determination of the emergency services, a young girl of around four years has just been pulled out of the rubble alive.
“Another survivor (a woman) has just, happily, been extracted by rescuers,” the civil protection ministry said.
The ministry later said an investigation into the building’s owner had been opened.
According to local media reports, the top floor collapsed onto the rest of the building which was already occupied, resulting in the entire structure “collapsing like a house of cards”.
Such collapses are common in Mali where buildings are often constructed without planning permission.
Authorities launched an investigation into the causes of the collapse, the government said on Twitter. — NNN-AGENCIES
