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CatastropheIvory Coast

Seven killed in Ivory Coast's building collapse

July 2, 2023

The building was under construction in an area of Abidjan where several embassies and the presidential palace are located.

https://p.dw.com/p/4TJY3
Debris of a collapsed building in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
The six-storey building was being illegally constructed in CocodyImage: Luc Gnago/REUTERS

Authorities in the Ivory Coast's commercial capital Abidjan said on Saturday seven people were killed and nine others were injured when a building under construction collapsed.

All those who died in the incident, that happened on Friday, were believed to be construction workers. 

Rescue workers standing on top of a collapsed building's rubble
Authorities in Abidjan launched a rescue operation to find victims from under the rubbleImage: ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP

The construction ministry said the six-story building was being built illegally in the upscale Cocody neighborhood.

It is the same area where several embassies and the presidential palace are located.

Booming illegal construction in Abidjan

Rescue efforts were ongoing at the site on Saturday, with emergency workers searching through a vast pile of shattered concrete and debris.

Abidjan, a key doorway to West Africa, is undergoing a demographic and economic boom. Several illegally constructed buildings have started mushrooming in the port city.

Incidents like the collapse have increased because of poor enforcement of construction regulations and the use of low-grade construction materials.

mf/lo (AFP, Reuters)

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