Two more bodies were last night pulled from the rubble of a building that collapsed yesterday in Nyagatare, raising the death toll to six.

Police say five people were transferred to Kigali for treatment – four at King Faisal Hospital and one at the Rwanda Military Hospital-Kanombe – while 13 others with "minor” cases are at Nyagatare Hospital.

Twelve people have since been discharged, according to the latest police updates, released at around 11am.

The Governor of the Eastern Province, Odette Uwamariya, told The New Times that the overnight rescue operation cleared the site, adding that all the 36 people who were working on the building when it caved in at around 3pm were now accounted for.

"It was a tragic incident which claimed the lives of people, but fortunately most of the victims were pulled from the rubble alive... we hope the death toll will not climb further, all those in hospital are in stable condition,” she said.

Police said investigations into the circumstances surrounding the collapse of the four-storey building were underway.

The building belonged to Eng. Geoffrey Barigye, who was himself injured in the accident, and is among those who were airlifted to King Faisal Hospital in Kigali.

The rescue mission was conducted by officers, men and women from the Rwanda National Police and Rwanda Defence Forces.