An incomplete mosque collapsed in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals and injuries to two more on Friday.
Alban Konan, the commander of the rescue operations for the country’s Military Firefighters Group, stated that the mosque is situated in the central Cocody area, where three other structures have collapsed in recent months.
Konan mentioned that the ongoing search and rescue operations were 70% complete as of Friday afternoon.
“Firefighters were alerted Thursday around 1600 GMT about a building collapse at a mosque under construction that was holding prayer when “the second floor collapsed”, he added.
The Ivorian Ministry of Construction, Housing, and Urbanism has not verified the legality of the works.
Six people lost their lives in the collapse of an unauthorised building under construction in Abidjan in July 2023.
In February and March 2023, an additional 13 individuals perished in two separate building collapses. One of the buildings was under construction, while the other had been constructed illegally.
Ivory Coast has implemented various measures to strengthen building safety oversight.
Construction in Abidjan, a city of six million people experiencing population growth, has surged recently, often without official permits.