A building collapsed this Thursday, May 08, 2025, in the town of Ngor. The incident, which has caused significant material damage, has currently mobilized the emergency services, still hard at work.
Omar Dabo, engineer in civil engineering and infrastructure, has listed probable causes of this collapse. Here is the publication!
“Probable causes of the collapse of this building
1. Conveyance of foundations by neighboring excavations:
The adjacent site seems to have carried out a deep excavation right next to the collapsed building. This has probably weakened or discovered the foundations of the building, resulting in a loss of stability.
2. Presence of water on the site:
The water visible on the excavation site indicates either a fluffy water table, or a poor evacuation of water (rain, leak, etc.). Water may have decompact the soil, weakened the support of the foundations, or caused a liquefaction phenomenon, making the ground unstable.
3. Lack of site support:
There does not seem to be solid retaining or shielding walls to retain the land and protect neighboring structures. The absence of such protections is a serious negligence in dense urban areas.
4. Dold or poor design of the collapsed building:
Although this is not visible directly, if the building had structural weaknesses (poor quality concrete, insufficient reinforcement, overload), it would have been more vulnerable to any modification of the neighboring soil.
5. Human error or non-compliance with standards:
It may be that site managers did not do a geotechnical study or neglected the impact of their work on neighboring buildings, which constitutes a serious fault. —Seydina Omar Dabo Engineer in Civil Engineering and Infrastructure Director of Salmom Construction
