A six-storey building collapsed while under construction in Ivory Coast’s commercial capital Abidjan on Friday, July 1, 2023, killing at least seven of the builders on site. Nine others were wounded in the collapse.
The building was located in the upscale Riviera Palmeraie district of Abidjan. The workers heard cracking sounds and the building started to crumble around them. They were able to escape the building before it collapsed completely, but seven of them were killed in the collapse.
The cause of the collapse is still being investigated, but it is believed that poor enforcement of building regulations and the use of often substandard construction materials may have contributed to the accident.
This is not the first time that a building has collapsed in Ivory Coast. In 2022, two building collapses in Abidjan killed a total of thirteen people. The Ivorian government has said that it will step up efforts to boost compliance with safe construction practices in order to prevent future accidents.
The collapse of this building is a tragedy, and our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who were killed. We hope that the investigation into the cause of the collapse will lead to steps being taken to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.
