IRAQ: An old three-storey building collapses in Zubair town, southwest of Basra, killing at least four civilians and injuring five others

Record ID: 216173

  • Title: IRAQ: An old three-storey building collapses in Zubair town, southwest of Basra, killing at least four civilians and injuring five others
  • Date: 12th September 2011
  • Summary: ZUBAIR TOWN, BASRA, IRAQ (SEPTEMBER 12, 2011) (REUTERS) TRACTOR, AMBULANCE AND MEMBERS OF SECURITY FORCES AT SCENE WHERE THREE STORY BUILDING COLLAPSED TRACTOR AT SCENE/CROWD GATHERING BESIDE COLLAPSED BUILDING MEMBER OF CIVIL DEFENCE AT SCENE AND TRACTOR DIGGING RUBBLE TRACTOR DIGGING RUBBLE MORE OF TRACTOR DIGGING RUBBLE AND MEMBERS OF CIVIL DEFENCE/CROWDS WATCHING
  • Embargoed: 27th September 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Iraq, Iraq
  • Country: Iraq
  • Topics: Disasters
  • Reuters ID: LVAES8KSCJREVHW4KSMZPRO1CIW5
  • Story Text: At least four civilians were killed and five others were injured when an old building collapsed in a town near the southern oil city of Basra on Monday (September 12), local officials said.
    Officials said the three-storey building in Zubair town was old and collapsed after a resident attempted to make repairs to his shop which was inside the site.
    "Today, one of the residents, an owner of a shop in Zubair town, in the Swadi market district attempted to repair his shop in an old building, which was about to collapse, without following technical procedures like consulting the local governorate or consultative bureau - causing the death of four people as a result of the ceiling collapsing on them," said Abbass Wesham, head of the Zubair local council.
    "The building was very close to the local market and (caused damages to it)," Wesham added.
    Member of the Civil Defence team made efforts to dig through the rubble, looking for survivors as large crowds of onlookers gathered around the site.
    Zubair town is around 15 kilometres (9 miles) southwest of Iraq's southern oil port city of Basra.
    Buildings are often damaged or destroyed as a result of violence in Iraq, but accidents of this nature are rare.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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