DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa announced on Saturday that one person was killed and 28 others were injured when a four-story building collapsed in the Kariakoo suburb of Dar es Salaam, the country's port city.
Speaking at the scene, Majaliwa said rescue operations, overseen by police, security forces and the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force, were ongoing.
"Some relatives are still in contact with people trapped under the rubble through mobile phones," he said. "While I was here, I heard one of the rescued individuals report that more people remain trapped beneath the debris."
President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed her condolences to Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila and called for expedited rescue efforts in response to the tragedy.
Witnesses said that the building, housing shops and other businesses, collapsed at around 9 a.m. local time (0600 GMT), shortly after construction work began to expand underground business spaces. ■