Four killed, several injured in Nyagatare building collapse

At least four people were confirmed dead and several others injured when a four-storey building under construction collapsed yesterday afternoon in Nyagatare District in Eastern Province.The victims were reportedly working on the building when it caved in at around 3.30 pm.The victims are believed to include both construction workers on the building as well as passersby because the structure was near the road.Rescuers, including the army and police, arrived at the scene shortly after the accident and were by press time still involved in intensive efforts to save those who were believed to have been trapped under the rubble.Ambulances and paramedics were on standby to treat and rush those rescued to the nearby Nyagatare Hospital.“Working with the Rwanda Defence Forces, the police have secured the site and are currently undertaking an intensive rescue operation. We are unable to confirm details as to the cause of the building’s collapse, but this will be subject to an urgent investigation, undertaken with local and national authorities, that will begin as soon as the rescue operation concludes,” Police said in a statement.Final phase The dead, whose identities were not established by press time, were taken to Nyagatare Hospital mortuary.The house belongs to Eng. Geoffrey Barigye.Four of the survivors in critical condition, including Barigye, were airlifted to King Faisal Hospital in Kigali, while 20 were said to have been admitted to Nyagatare Hospital.The New Times’ Eastern Province correspondent, Stephen Rwembeho, who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, quoted Police sources as saying the victims were casual labourers who were working on the final phase of the building when it caved in.Rwembeho said shocked residents looked on helpless as the victims, most of them their relatives and neighbours, groaned under the rubble for help.“It’s a tragedy here. People are crying under the collapsed building but cannot get any help,” said an eyewitness.Police reinforced the rescue unit to work overnight, while the residents were reportedly exhausted after using rudimentary means, according to our correspondent.Eastern Province Governor, Odette Uwamariya told reporters in Nyagatare after the accident that the province had ordered a halt on work on all buildings being supervised by Barigye in the province.Survivors narrateAn eyewitness Richard Musoni said that most workers were at the ground floor expanding rooms that were said to be initially too small.Charles Rukundo, another eyewitness, said it was regrettable the building that was to be the tallest in Nyagatare was in ruins. “I am deeply sad because some of the deceased workers were my friends. This is a terrible experience, the first of its kind in Nyagatare, it was like a thunder,” he said.The police statement issued late evening said the reason for the collapse was not yet identified.

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Four killed, several injured in Nyagatare building collapse