Tanzania building collapse toll reaches 20

Dar es Salaam (Tanzania): The number of people killed in the 16-storey under construction building collapse in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam has risen to 20, police said Saturday. The building, situated at the junction of Indira Gandhi Street and Morogoro Road in this commercial capital city, crumbled Friday morning. Initial reports stated three deaths and over 60 people as trapped. At least 17 bodies were recovered from the building`s rubble between Friday night and Saturday afternoon as rescue work to locate survivers continued, Xinhua quoted Dar es Salaam special zone commander Suleiman Kova as saying.

More bodies were expected from the debris as rescuers from various institutions, including the Tanzania People`s Defence Forces, police and the Tanzania Red Cross Society, had been working round the clock, the official said. The victims included construction workers, beggars staying near the building,children and passers-by, he added. Many young children attending a Muslim school near the building were still unaccounted for, local media reported. IANS