Building collapse kills 11 in Senegal
Eleven people were killed and seven others injured when a
three-storey building collapsed in Senegal's second biggest city of Touba,
firefighters said Monday.
The building was under construction when it collapsed on Sunday afternoon, local media reported.
National director of construction, Moussa Tine, blamed "non-compliance with construction standards" for the collapse in a statement to local press.
Touba, in central Senegal, is the capital of the Mouride Muslim brotherhood, one of the most important in the West African country.
Undergoing large-scale demographic and economic growth, as is the capital Dakar, Touba is also experiencing an explosion in the construction sector.
But much of that growth is haphazard with some buildings lacking official authorisation.
Building collapse is common in Senegal and is often caused by non-compliance with construction standards, experts say.
In early May, two people were killed in the collapse of a building in Dakar. In January 2024, a similar incident left seven dead.
In July 2023, two buildings under construction collapsed in neighbouring Guinea, killing five people.
