Building collapse in Kariako: Tanzanian rescuers send water into the trap

Large crowds of bystanders cheered as rescue teams carried survivors on stretchers past huge piles of concrete rubble to take them to hospital.

Seven people were rescued from the basement of the building on Sunday, Dar es Salaam regional commissioner Albert Chalamila told the Citizen newspaper.

“We hope that more survivors will be found,” he said.

It is not known how many people remain trapped.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliva said that the authorities “will not rest until we are convinced that we have been able to save every person or soul that was under the rubble.”

After the building first collapsed at around 09:00 local time (06:00 GMT) on Saturday morning, hundreds of rescuers used sledgehammers and their bare hands to pull away the debris, AFP reported.

Later, cranes and other heavy equipment were called in to help.

Fortunately, the building collapsed before the market area became too busy.

Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the collapse, but an investigation is expected to begin after rescue operations are completed.

Dar es Salaam is one of the world’s fastest growing cities, and building codes are reportedly not always enforced.