At least eight people have tragically lost their lives after a seven-storey building collapsed in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital, on Monday.

The disaster has sparked an intense search-and-rescue operation, with teams continuing to sift through the rubble in hopes of finding more survivors.

Several people are still believed to be trapped beneath the debris, and rescue workers are racing against time to locate them.

The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has confirmed that six individuals have been pulled from the wreckage so far, with some of the trapped victims managing to communicate their locations to rescuers.

Among the victims identified are three young children—two girls and a boy—each under the age of five.

The building, which housed both residential and commercial spaces, collapsed late in the morning, between 11:00 and 12:00 local time.

Rescue operations began immediately, with initial efforts involving rescuers using their hands and picks to clear the debris before two cranes were brought in to aid the mission.

Mohamed Camara, a resident, shared his heart-wrenching story with reporters, explaining that his wife and three children were among those still trapped beneath the building.

As emotions run high, the community remains anxiously hopeful that more survivors will be found in the coming hours.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the collapse, but the disaster has raised renewed concerns about the state of infrastructure in Sierra Leone.

Brima Sesay, the head of the NDMA, has called for increased public awareness regarding the dangers of hiring unqualified contractors and using substandard building materials.

He emphasized that addressing these issues is crucial to preventing future tragedies like this one.

“We need to conduct more vulnerability assessments to reduce the likelihood of building collapses in the future,” Sesay noted.

He added that Sierra Leone’s widespread poverty and inadequate building regulations contribute to the country’s frequent construction failures.

With infrastructure challenges already a major concern, incidents like this highlight the urgent need for improvements in building safety standards across the nation.

As the rescue efforts continue, the focus remains on finding those still trapped and understanding what led to this devastating collapse.

The tragedy has shaken the people of Freetown, underscoring the urgent need for action to ensure safer building practices in the future.