At least 21 killed as war-damaged Gaza building collapses
Rescuers, UN agencies and an Egyptian team are searching for up to 100 people believed trapped beneath the rubble.
At least 21 people, including eight children, were killed when a six-storey building collapsed overnight in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa area, according to local rescuers and medics.
Rescuers, UN agencies and an Egyptian team were searching for survivors, with between 70 and 100 people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble, Alessandro Mrakic, head of the United Nations Development Programme’s Gaza office, said.
The operation was slowed by a lack of heavy machinery and other equipment. Members of Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defence agency initially used their bare hands to search the site.
About 10 displaced families were reportedly living in the building. Witnesses told the BBC it had been left dangerously tilted after an Israeli strike more than a year ago, although the precise cause and timing of the collapse have not been independently established.
UN officials said approximately 400 other war-damaged buildings across Gaza could be at imminent risk of collapse. UN agencies estimate that about 80 per cent of structures in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, while 1.2 million people are living in tents or makeshift shelters.
The collapse occurred amid the Israel-Hamas war and a continuing humanitarian crisis, despite a ceasefire agreed last October. The death toll and number of people trapped may change as the rescue operation continues.
