GAZA: Gaza rescuers on Wednesday (Sep 16) combed through the wreckage of a bombed-out apartment building that collapsed overnight, killing at least 12 Palestinians, including five children, and trapping dozens of others beneath the rubble.
The incident highlights the ongoing danger for tens of thousands of Palestinians who live in an estimated 2,000 damaged buildings due to Israeli airstrikes across Gaza.
Rescue workers from the civil defence said at least 12 people, including five children, were killed and 14 others injured when the seven-storey building collapsed. Nearly 100 more people were believed to be trapped under the rubble.
A video obtained by Reuters showed rescue workers trying to pull out two people from under a collapsed wall. Another video circulated on social media showed Gaza’s civil defence spokesperson, Mahmoud Basal, carrying a little girl, wrapped in a blood-stained scarf, in his hands.
Raed Al-Dahshan, the director of Gaza City’s civil defence service, said at least 10 families lived in the collapsed building and there was still hope of finding survivors.
“We are still hearing voices from under the rubble, so there is still hope to find people,” said Dahshan.
Alessandro Mrakic, head of the UN Development Programme’s Gaza office, said rescuers from some UN agencies were taking part in the rescue efforts, which he described as difficult due to the lack of proper machinery. Egypt’s relief agency was also taking part in rescue efforts.
“The situation, as you see, is tragic because we don’t have the equipment and machinery that is needed. So there are actually people that are digging with their bare hands. We need to prepare (for more deaths),” said Mrakic.
“There are approximately 400 buildings at risk of collapse. And we know that these buildings will collapse, especially now with the upcoming winter,” he added.
