Wednesday 10 September 2014

Pakistan Lahore mosque collapse death toll rises to 24


Emergency teams in the Pakistani city of Lahore say they have now recovered 24 bodies from rubble at a mosque a day after its roof collapsed.

At least seven others were rescued from the building, and rescuers are still searching debris.

The disaster in the low-income, congested suburb of Daroghawala came on Tuesday after heavy rain.

Officials told BBC Urdu that the building was very old and that its exterior had recently been renovated.

"According to locals' claims it seems almost all people have been recovered but we will continue our efforts until the removal of the whole debris," district administration chief Mohammed Usman told the media, AFP news agency reports.

Last week, 24 people were killed in roof collapses after torrential rains in the city.

Preliminary investigation into the tragedy suggested that that the lentil of the second storey collapsed on the roof of the ground floor which also caved in on people who were offering Zohr prayers on Tuesday. The entire structure was in a poor state.

Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif had visited the site of the collapse on Tuesday to review the rescue and relief operations. He had directed the officials to provide best facilities to the injured and had announced Rs 500,000 each for the families of the deceased.

Building safety levels are often below standard in Pakistan.

At least 17 people - including women and children - were killed in a factory collapse following a gas explosion in a residential area of the city in February 2012.

More than 250 people have died as a result of rain and flooding currently sweeping Pakistan, many as a result of roof collapses, reports say.

Wednesday 10 September 2014

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-29138429

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