AYV News, September 19, 2024

Socio-Political Activist, Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden has recommended that there must be harsh penalties for anyone found to be complicit or culpable in the matters of poor engineering construction and/or usage of substandard cement, iron rods and other poor building materials in recent times in Sierra Leone.

Dr. Bylden was sending her heartfelt condolences to bereaved families, especially the mother who lost her 4 children at the collapsed seven-storey building at Shell, east end of Freetown, that claimed 9 lives an hospitalising many, while still trapping many more.

She said: “Let me reiterate that the huge costs of these rescue and clearing efforts in addition to such irreparable loss of human lives, are reasons why there must be harsh penalties for anyone found to be complicit or culpable in the matters of poor engineering construction and/or usage of substandard cement, iron rods and other poor building materials in recent times in Sierra Leone”.

She expressed disappointment that several children, of various ages, were killed in the Shell house collapse including four children from the same mother who had left them in the house to go do something somewhere else. “It was in her absence that the neighbouring 7-storey structure collapsed, fell on her roof and killed all the children who had been in that her house including her 4 biological children. Very sad development”. Dr. Blyden concluded.

In similar development, in the absence of his boss, Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has assured survivors and relatives of victims of the collapsed building of government’s support and care.

During his visit, he toured the scene, met with rescue teams, and expressed his condolences to the families who tragically lost their loved ones.

Describing the incident as deeply unfortunate, the Vice President pledged that the government will take all necessary measures to reduce the frequency of building collapses, which continue to claim innocent lives. He stressed the government’s resolve to enforce compliance with building regulations to prevent such disasters in the future.

At the incident command center set up by the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), Vice President Jalloh met with NDMA staff and praised the agency for its exceptional leadership in managing the recent building collapses in Freetown. He assured that the government would continue to provide financial support for the ongoing rescue operations to ensure that all those trapped beneath the rubble are reached. Additionally, he pledged continued government backing to enhance the NDMA’s capacity for effective disaster management across the country.

After visiting the collapse site, the Vice President also went to Rokupa Government Hospital, where he visited the survivors and was briefed on their recovery progress.