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Ugandans die in school collapse | Ugandans die in school collapse |
(about 4 hours later) | |
At least nine construction workers in Uganda have died after the building they were working on collapsed. | |
The building, which had at least three storeys, was part of a school outside the capital, Kampala. | The building, which had at least three storeys, was part of a school outside the capital, Kampala. |
The BBC's Sarah Grainger at the scene says police, army and workers at the site are using industrial diggers to search for people who may be trapped. | |
Two years ago, poor construction was blamed for the collapse of church killing 27 people during a service. | Two years ago, poor construction was blamed for the collapse of church killing 27 people during a service. |
Police said then that the planning authorities were responsible for what they called a rampant problem of substandard construction and high levels of corruption meant short cuts were often taken. | Police said then that the planning authorities were responsible for what they called a rampant problem of substandard construction and high levels of corruption meant short cuts were often taken. |
'Pillar wobbled' | |
Our correspondent says the building is now a heap of rubble, twisted metal and broken timber. | |
An eyewitness told her that minutes before it collapsed one of the building's pillars began to wobble. | |
Police spokesman Gabriel Tibayungwa says it is not known how many people were working on the site. | |
"The foreman is suspected to have died so we have nobody to give us a record of how many people were there," he told the BBC. | |
Local residents say they are not surprised at the tragedy. | |
"The kind of materials these people have been using - it is no surprise," said one man near the school. | |
"We blame our government because it does not take into account what kind of buildings are being built in the city." | |
Police say the rescue and recovery effort will continue until all survivors have been found and the bodies extracted from the site. |