Apartment building collapse in Recife, Brazil, claims 8 lives
Locals referred to this style of four-story building as a "coffin block" and have condemned its structure
July 08, 2023
Rescue workers confirmed that at least eight people lost their lives in an apartment building collapse in Recife, Brazil.
Among the victims of the catastrophe were two children, aged five and eight, as the block disintegrated on Friday in the northeastern state of Pernambuco.
Although the cause is still unknown, recent days have seen heavy rains pour down on Recife, the BBC reported.
According to reports, six people are still missing in the Janga neighbourhood, and four people were found alive after being pulled from the rubble.
The collapse occurred in the Paulista neighbourhood of Recife, where some locals complained about the subpar construction and referred to this style of four-story building as a "coffin block."
One of the residents of the area, Elisangela, told reporters: "This building had already been condemned 14 years ago, and we had to leave. My mother used to live in the building. But when we left, people invaded [the building]... They did a lot of renovations."
Many residents would have been sleeping when the building collapsed, according to officials, at about 06:35 local time on Friday (09:35 GMT).
According to local media, a mother, 43, and her son, 19, were also among the victims.
The Pernambuco government said eight rescue teams had been sent to the site to search for survivors, Sky News reported.
On Friday, the local governor warned residents to make sure they could get to safe structures because more rain was forecast.
