Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a building under construction that collapsed in the Cocody Angre district of Abidjan on June 30, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)
ABIDJAN – A six-story building collapsed while under construction in Cote d'Ivoire's commercial capital Abidjan on Friday, killing at least seven of the builders on site, firefighters at the scene said.
Around midday local time, the workers heard cracking sounds and the building started to crumble around them, said caretaker and builder Jourdin Yoro.
"In a rush, we started to run," Yoro said. "Within about 45 seconds, the building collapsed."
Rescue efforts were ongoing at the site in Abidjan's upscale Riviera Palmeraie district on Saturday with emergency workers searching through a vast pile of shattered concrete and debris.
A further nine people were wounded in the collapse, said Charles Paolo, the head of the firefighting unit at the scene.
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In 2022, the Ivorian government said it would step up efforts to boost compliance with safe construction practices after thirteen people were killed in two building collapses in Abidjan within a two week period in February and March.
