FREETOWN, May 11 (Xinhua) -- A total of 15 people have been killed in three major accidents recently in Sierra Leone, an official of the country's National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) disclosed to Xinhua Thursday.
Mohamed Bah, the director of Communications with the NDMA, told Xinhua in an interview that a cotton tree in the Northern Province fell on a makeshift structure Saturday, leaving six people dead and 13 others injured.
He revealed a six-story building in the Western Area Rural District collapsed Tuesday and left people trapped underneath.
"During the search and rescue operations, three dead bodies were recovered from the rubble," Bah said, adding the agency is working to conduct a full investigation into the accident and make their findings public to deter further reoccurrence.
Bah also disclosed a heavy downpour Wednesday flooded some areas of Freetown, the country's capital, during which six people were killed after a perimeter fence collapsed.
"The NDMA has also received reports of other minor incidents across the country. It has dispatched its regional teams to the various scenes to conduct assessments for prompt intervention," he said, calling for residents to remain vigilant in their residential areas, trim all weak branches close to their houses during the rains, and urging those living in low-lying areas to move to high grounds. ■
