A partially completed mosque in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's capital, has collapsed, resulting in eight fatalities and two injuries, according to Ivorian officials speaking to AFP on Friday.
The mosque, situated in the central Cocody district, has seen three other structures collapse in the area over the past few months, revealed Alban Konan, a commander of the country's Military Firefighters Group. Konan further stated that by Friday afternoon, 70% of the search and rescue operations had been concluded.
Firefighters were notified on Thursday at approximately 1600 GMT (8pm UAE time) about the collapse of the second floor during a prayer session at the mosque under construction. The Ivorian Construction, Housing and Urbanism ministry has yet to verify the legality of the construction activities. In July 2023, an unauthorized building collapse in Abidjan claimed six lives, while another 13 were killed in two separate incidents in February and March 2023, one during construction and the other illegally built.
Ivory Coast has implemented stricter measures for monitoring building safety. Rapid construction, often without proper permits, has surged in Abidjan, a city experiencing significant demographic expansion with a population of six million.
