Friday, September 20, 2013
At least 18 people were killed in a quarry collapse in Somalia's capital Thursday, officials and witnesses said.Nearly
200 workers were at the site in northern Mogadishu's Karan district
digging for sand for use in building construction when the sudden
collapse occurred.
"This was a tragedy. More than 16 dead bodies
were discovered from under the collapsed quarry and still some others
are missing," Karan district governor Ali Alasow said.
A worker who survived the accident, Mumin Abduweli, told AFP that he had seen 18 bodies.
"I have never witnessed such a tragedy, I was lucky to be outside of the cave when it collapsed," he said.
Another witness, Mohamed Yusuf, said those who died were digging deep inside a cave when it collapsed.
"Bulldozers
have been used as well as people digging with their hands, but
unfortunately only a few were lucky enough to come out alive," he added.
Since Islamist insurgents fled city trenches two years ago, bands of labourers have been rebuilding Mogadishu.
The
quarry is often packed with casual workers hoping to make living from
the building boom in Mogadishu, which was badly destroyed by decades of
civil war.