Death toll in Tanzania building collapse hits 29

 

Emergency crews and first responders gather for rescue operations at the site of a collapsed four-story building in Dar es Salaam on November 16, 2024. [AFP]

Tanzania's government on Tuesday raised the death toll from the collapse of a building in the Tanzanian commercial capital Dar es Salaam to 29.

The November 16 disaster in one of the fastest-growing cities in the world prompted President Samia Suluhu Hassan to vow to improve building safety standards.

After a toll of 20 victims given by Hassan last week, Tanzanian chief government spokesperson Tobias Makoba told reporters that the clean-up operation at the site had ended after rescuers managed to remove all the debris.

"The number of deaths increased to 29 after more bodies were recovered," Makoba said, adding that "three of the bodies are undergoing DNA testing to identify them".

Two more were still in hospital with their injuries, he added.

With a population of five million, Dar es Salaam is experiencing a frenetic property boom, with buildings springing up quickly and often in defiance of regulations.

The building in Kariakoo, the East African country's busiest market, crumbled while people were shopping.

Following the accident, the government announced the creation of a commission to inspect all the buildings in Kariakoo's bustling commercial district.

Hassan promised the report would be made public.

In 2013, the collapse of a 16-storey building killed 34 people.