Associated Press | Building Under Renovation Collapses In Ugandan Capital – Killing 4

AP – KAMPALA, Uganda — A building under renovation collapsed in the Ugandan capital on Monday, killing at least four people, police said as rescue workers started searching for survivors under the rubble. Nice Times building located on Plot 2 Nakivubo Mews caved in as workers were breaking one of its walls to create a corridor, according to eyewitnesses.

The collapse in downtown Kampala trapped an unknown number of people, and it was not immediately clear how many people were around the site at the time, said Patrick Onyango, a spokesman for Ugandan police. The four people so far confirmed killed were construction workers there, he said.

Collapsed buildings are a growing problem in East Africa, where many buildings are under construction or renovation as the region’s major cities experience a property boom. The incidents have become frequent apparently because some property developers bypass regulations to cut costs.

In March at least 30 people were killed when a building under construction collapsed in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s commercial capital.In May six people were killed and dozens more injured when a building under construction collapsed in eastern Rwanda town.