Tanzania building collapse: Rescue efforts continue as govt vows stern action

Rescue efforts at the site of a building collapse that killed at least 16 people in Tanzania’s commercial capital entered a third day on Monday.

The number of people trapped was unclear, but several people have told local media that they have lost contact with relatives who they believe were inside the building.

Some of those who died were being buried on Monday.

Tanzania’s Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa, attended some of the funerals after visiting the site of the building collapse and said rescue efforts would go on “non-stop day and night until we are sure the last person is out.”

More than 80 people have so far been rescued from the four-storey building in Dar es Salaam, which housed dozens of shops and collapsed on Saturday morning.

Tanzanian President, Samia Suluhu, has ordered an audit of all buildings in Dar Es Salaam’s Kariakoo area, which is popular among traders, and asked police to obtain the ownership and construction permits for the collapsed building.

It is currently the rainy season in Tanzania, when building collapses are common in the east African country.