Search continues for one missing woman after building collapse in Basra

BASRA, Iraq — Search and rescue teams are working through the rubble of a four-story residential building that collapsed in Basra, with one woman still missing, the Civil Defense Directorate said on Saturday. The directorate said the structure, an old and worn building in the Muwafaqiyah district, gave way and that crews have evacuated and rescued families living there while continuing to look for the missing woman. The statement said the operation is being monitored in real time by Civil Defense Director General Lt. Gen. Mohsen Kazim Alaq and supervised in the field by Basra Civil Defense Director Brig. Gen. Mazen Mohammed Lufta. Technical equipment and personnel have been deployed to secure the site and accelerate the search, the directorate added. Precautionary measures have been put in place to protect rescue crews, the directorate said, noting that efforts to locate the missing woman are continuing.