A devastating collapse of a building in Tanzania’s commercial hub, Dar es Salaam, has resulted in at least 13 fatalities, with rescue teams successfully saving more than 80 individuals from the rubble.
The incident occurred on Saturday morning at approximately 9:00 AM local time (0600 GMT), when a four-storey building in the prominent Kariakoo market area suddenly gave way.
KARIAKOO VICTIMS.
— Vasco Stanley (@StanleyVasco) November 18, 2024
A call has been made to help the victims of the collapsed building in Kariakoo, Dar-es-Salaam.
As a way to get donations from various places, I volunteer to collect donations and deliver them.
The number is +255716604758
Network: Tigopesa
Name: Calvin Munisi pic.twitter.com/y7Uy6XvuZL
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Government Response and Support
President Samia Suluhu Hassan addressed the nation regarding the tragedy, confirming the casualties and rescue figures.
“More than 80 people were rescued and rushed to hospitals,” she stated, noting that 26 individuals remained under medical care.
In a show of government support, the president announced that authorities would assume responsibility for all treatment expenses and provide assistance with funeral arrangements for the deceased.
Nature of Casualties
Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila provided crucial details about the causes of death, dispelling initial concerns about suffocation-related fatalities.
“Up to this moment, there are no reports of deaths caused by suffocation, according to the immediate updates we have received,” he explained, as quoted by The Citizen Tanzania.
The Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Albert Chalamila, has noted the fatalities were not due to suffocation but caused by injuries sustained from the collapse of the high-rise building in Kariakoo.
— The Citizen Tanzania (@TheCitizenTz) November 17, 2024
He explained that the victims died from being struck by falling debris,… pic.twitter.com/QOiEhWszpC
Instead, the commissioner clarified that victims succumbed to direct trauma from the collapse, including:
- Injuries from falling debris
- Crushing under the building’s weight
- Wounds caused by steel rods
