A three-story residential building in Pentagon Kamayama, Lumley Regent, collapsed yesterday at around 4 p.m., leaving two contractors feared trapped beneath the rubble and sparking a wave of grief and concern throughout the community.
Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr took to social media to express her sorrow and to call for urgent reforms.
“Saddened to learn about yet another disaster in our city,” she wrote. “Our prayers are with the two contractors that we understand are still trapped under the rubble. We hope that they will be rescued soon.”
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr highlighted the ongoing risks posed by unregulated construction and inadequate oversight.
“It is imperative that Sierra Leone urgently institutes building regulations, an effective building permitting regime and land use planning,” she emphasized, noting that these functions currently fall under the Ministry of Lands rather than local councils, contrary to global best practices.
The Mayor stressed the readiness of local councils to assume these responsibilities in order to better protect residents.
“We owe it to our residents to ensure that the factors that lead to these repeated building collapses are addressed and that the risks are reduced,” she stated. “Action by the central government is required now. The local councils are ready to take up these functions in the best interests of our residents.”
Rescue efforts led by National Disaster Management Agency personnel, along with local representatives including Councillor Unisa Kamara, continued at the scene late into the night as the community awaited news of the missing contractors.
