PH
Dozens of people are feared to be in the debris of a 4-story building that collapsed Monday evening near Makerere university in the outskirts of Kampala.
Their cries for help could still be heard from below, while others are reportedly still calling their relatives on mobile phones as attempts to rescue them goes on.
Nkyasenke towers that collapsed was still a new building which housed a parking space at the basement, a motor garage, pharmacies, offices, restaurants, mobile money outlets and merchandise shops.
4 people have so far been confirmed dead by police but over 30 others who were working in that building are not yet accounted for.
Cries for help were still coming from the building on Tuesday. Some of the victims are calling their relatives on mobile phones telling them that they are still trapped underneath.
Police fire brigade and volunteers spent the whole night trying to rescue those trapped in the rubble using bulldozers.
”We are trying our best to rescue those still underneath. It is not easy but we are trying our best,” said Uganda’s fire brigade chief, Joseph Mugisha.
Judith Namubiru, a woman with a missing relative said,” He has been calling me several times saying they are still trapped below the collapsed building.
A security officer in charge of the area where the building collapsed,Timothy Mukasa said that according to the information they have so far gathered,over 30 people are missing.
He said: ”According to the list of people who were operating from this building, over 30 are missing. Most of them are likely to be under the collapsed building.”
It is common for buildings in Uganda’s capital to collapse due to shoddy work during construction. Last year, at least 5 people died when a building under construction collapsed in the outskirts of Kampala.
