Updated at 0951 GMT on Tuesday 07th Sep 2021 By E K Benj

KAMPALA- The Minister of Kampala, Hajjat Minsa Kabanda has ordered the owner of the collapsed building in Kampala to take responsibility including medical bills for the victims of the Sunday incidence that left scores dead. The minister in a statement demands that the tycoon compensates the families of those who perished.

HICGI News Agency has learnt that Haruna Kiggundu, the owner of the collapsed building is in hiding but the lord Mayor of Kampala Erias Lukwago has called for his rest and all site engineers.

According to witnesses in Kisenyi near Mengo, several people including builders, drivers, food vendors and bystanders were trapped inside the building. Several people rushed with all kinds of tools including axes, hoes and hammers to try and rescue the victims trapped under the rubble.

Mr Salim Uhuru, the chairman of the Central Division, said the six bodies retrieved from the rubble were taken to the city mortuary in Kampala for identification and postmortem.

“The building collapsed at around 2pm when some of the workers were on the lower floors and other people were standing in the parking yard. Five bodies have been recovered and taken to the mortuary,” Mr Uhuru said at the scene.

Rescue workers hoped there was life held under the rubble of the building after 7 people- including 2 minors were rescued by 11pm Sunday. 

Eyewitnesses said they didn’t expect to find many people underneath the debris because the part of the building that collapsed first wobbled, giving time to some workers to flee.

“I saw the tower, which was under construction, shaking. Then workers ran from it and jumped to a nearby tower. Before all workers could leave the weak tower, it collapsed. Those who were at the top didn’t die, but were covered by dust,” Mr Umar Mukasa, one of the witnesses, said.

The building collapsed on three trucks, flattening them in the process.

Another witness said one boda boda rider nicknamed Mutoro survived barely after picking a passenger seconds before the building collapsed.

“He was so happy to have survived and told us that he wound up the day’s work and said he was going to drink his waragi (a gin) to celebrate surviving death,” he said.

People in the neighbourhood said the death toll would have been higher if the incident happened on a working day because there are hundreds who set up their businesses near the fence. of the building. 

Meanwhile Kampala Capital City Authority has released a statement.