A seven-storey residential building collapsed in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown on Monday with many feared trapped under the rubble.
Two cranes and responders using bare hands, shovels and pick axes worked frantically to search for survivors at the site in eastern Freetown.
An elderly woman was rescued alive and taken to hospital by Red Cross volunteers, an AFP journalist saw.
Brima Sesay, Director General of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), said many people were trapped under rubble, but was unable to provide precise figures.
Witnesses interviewed by AFP said that dozens of people lived in the building.
While the cause of the collapse is not yet clear, an investigation has been opened, police said.
Bread seller Joseph Sesay, 19, said he heard a loud sound and felt the ground trembling as the building gave way at around 11:00 am (1100 GMT).
Despairing 33-year-old resident Mohamed Camara, who had left his house in the morning, wept as he told AFP that his wife and three children were trapped under the debris.
Large crowds gathered around the remains of the structure, with concrete slabs piled high next to the corrugated metal roofs of neighbouring buildings.
Sierra Leone is one of the world’s poorest countries and buildings are often poorly constructed using sub-standard materials.
