Five-story building collapses in Yemen, many still trapped

Five-story building collapses in Yemen, many still trapped

2011-01-20 07:32:00 GMT+7 (ICT)

SANA'A, YEMEN (BNO NEWS) -- A five-story building on Wednesday collapsed leaving many people trapped and authorities fear they could die, the SABA news agency reported.

The building collapsed due to its poor conditions. It is located in the Shourta neighborhood in the capital Sana'a. Rescue teams were rushed to the scene as many were trapped.

So far only three people have been rescued alive from the site including an eight-year girl and the owner of the building, and a pilot in Yemen Air Force. The three individuals were rushed to a local hospital.

Currently, rescue operations are underway in order to rescue 6 other people from one family still under the debris. The three individuals previously rescued are relatives of the trapped family.

Vice President Abdu Rabo Mansour Hadi urged authorities to double efforts in order to rescue the individuals that are still trapped. Authorities fear that some of them may have died already.

Hadi visited the site in order to inspect the efforts. He was informed of the damages caused by the collapse as well as the progress of the rescue operations to remove the residents either dead or alive.

Authorities are also considering the installation of two mobile phone base base station antennas over the building as a possible cause of the collapse.

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