A man in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, has told the BBC he is waiting to hear from his mother, who is still trapped two days after a building collapsed.
Prime Minister Qasim Majalieva said that rescue workers have so far pulled 86 people alive from the rubble, but 16 have died.
Emanuel told the BBC that his mother was working in the building when she fell down on Saturday morning.
“She called me and later told me she was meeting clients. Two hours later, I got information that the building had collapsed,” he said.
“The rescue team told us that they are in touch with him and others who were there.
“Given the efforts being made, we hope that she will survive, we leave it to God.”
Emmanuel is among several people waiting to hear from their loved ones trapped in the collapsed building, which is located in the busy area of Kiriakou Market. However, it is not clear how many people are trapped.
Rescue workers are sending water, glucose and oxygen supplies to people trapped in small gaps in the rubble.
Prime Minister Majaliwa said that after the rescue mission is completed, an investigation into the cause of the collapse will begin. Authorities are pursuing the owner of the building for information about the incident.
Mr Majaliwa was speaking at a ceremony at Manazi Mamoja Ground in Dar es Salaam, where thousands of mourners gathered to pay their respects and collect the bodies of their loved ones for burial.
The Prime Minister said that five of the survivors are in the hospital under observation.
He said that rescue operations will continue day and night until we rescue the last person.
Hundreds of first responders used hammers and their bare hands to remove the debris after the building came under way at around 09:00 local time (06:00 GMT) on Saturday morning, according to the AFP news agency. used
Later, cranes and other heavy machinery were brought in to help.
Fortunately, the building collapsed before the market area got too busy.
A 19-member team has been formed to inspect buildings across the city. The group will assess structural integrity and recommend safety measures in an effort to prevent future tragedies.
