Gaza Building Collapse Kills 21, With 70-100 Feared Trapped in War-Damaged Ruins
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Sep 16
Gaza Building Collapse Kills 21, With 70-100 Feared Trapped in War-Damaged Ruins
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Sep 16
Summary
At least 21 people, including eight children, were killed after a six-storey building collapsed overnight in Gaza City's Tal al-Hawa area, with dozens still missing.
Witnesses said the building had been left dangerously tilted by an Israeli strike more than a year ago, and displaced families moved in because Gaza's shelter shortage left them few alternatives.
UN agencies and an Egyptian team joined the rescue, but officials said crews were digging by hand because heavy machinery, fuel and spare parts were scarce; the UNDP said 70 to 100 people could still be under the rubble.
About 400 other war-damaged buildings in Gaza face imminent collapse, the UNDP warned, as winter nears and aid officials press Israel to allow in rescue equipment, tents and other shelter supplies.
The collapse underscores Gaza's wider housing crisis: the UN says 80% of structures have been damaged or destroyed, 1.9 million people have been displaced, and 1.2 million now live in tents or makeshift shelters.