Ten builders escape death in Stone Town wall collapse
A wall of a building under renovation in Stone Town near the Old Fort, Unguja, collapsed, injuring one worker, several others narrowly escaping death. PHOTO | Jesse Mikofu.
Unguja. Ten builders escaped death and one was injured after a wall collapsed on them while they were working on a renovation project in Stone Town, Zanzibar, on January 17.
The incident occurred at around noon in a building located near Old Fort, Zanzibar.
Speaking to The Citizen, Rashid Mzee Abdallah, commissioner of the Zanzibar Fire and Rescue Services, said that no one was killed in the incident.
"Yes, it is true that the wall of a building collapsed today at noon, the builders were banging on it to plaster it," he said.
The building used to be the Land Commission and was the headquarters of the Zanzibar People's Bank (PBZ).
Abdallah said that one person was hit by debris but was quickly rescued and taken to Mnazimmoja Hospital with scratches and bruises.
Some of the builders working on the renovation project said that the back side of the building had a large crack.
Hassan Khalid said, "We were downstairs and the one who was injured was upstairs, so he fell with the wall, but fortunately he was not covered but was crushed more on his legs."
Another builder, who did not want to give his name, said that the wall gave a warning before it collapsed, so many people ran away.
Many buildings in Stone Town have been collapsing due to their dilapidated condition.
