Earlier today, three children have been pulled alive from the debris of a collapsed seven-story building along Shell Bai Bureh Road in eastern Freetown.
Though alive, the children are reportedly in critical condition and have been rushed to the hospital.
Rescue teams on the scene have expressed concerns that many more people, including women and children, remain trapped under the rubble.
So far, two fatalities have been confirmed as the rescue efforts continue.
Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, who is currently out of the city, shared her sorrow over the incident in a social media statement.
“My heart goes out to everyone affected by the collapse of a 4-story building along the Shell-Richard Allen axis on Bai Bureh Road,” she wrote. She further assured the public that the Freetown City Council (FCC) has mobilized heavy machinery and personnel to assist the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) in the rescue operations.
The Deputy Mayor, along with local councillors and the FCC Disaster Risk Management Officer, are at the scene coordinating efforts with other emergency responders.
While the exact cause of the collapse remains under investigation, preliminary reports point to structural deficiencies and the use of substandard building materials, such as inferior iron rods, as possible contributors to the disaster.
The incident has sparked renewed calls for stricter oversight and enforcement of building regulations in Sierra Leone.
