Gaza, Sept 18:
At least 21 people, including 11 children and six women, were killed when a six-storey residential building collapsed in western Gaza City, according to local officials and residents. More than 25 people were injured in the incident.
The Al-Saada building, which had already been damaged in Israeli bombardment, collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday near the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said the building was housing around 100 displaced people. Rescue teams worked for about 16 hours and managed to save 45 people while recovering 21 bodies from the rubble. Another 35 people escaped from the building, he said.
The collapse triggered a desperate rescue effort, with grieving relatives and residents gathering at the site. Some people were seen attempting to search through the debris with their bare hands.
Louay al-Ajla, 54, said he lost nearly 10 members of his family in the collapse. He described receiving the news at dawn as devastating.
Palestinian authorities blamed restrictions on the entry of heavy machinery and rescue equipment for making the search and rescue operation more difficult.
The incident has added to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where large numbers of displaced people are living in buildings and temporary shelters damaged by the ongoing conflict.