Rescuers in Sierra Leone are continuing to search for more survivors after a seven-storey building collapsed in the capital Freetown, killing at least eight people.

The West African country’s National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) said six people had been rescued from the rubble on Shell New Road so far, but “more people remain trapped”.

It added that some of those in the rubble had been “able to communicate their locations” to the rescuers.

The building in eastern Freetown collapsed between 11:00 and 12:00 local time (12:00 and 13:00 BST) on Monday, the NDMA said. Two girls and a boy – all aged under five – are among the victims.

Two cranes have been brought in to help the rescue teams, who were earlier seen using picks and their bare hands to try to clear the wreckage.

Local resident Mohamed Camara wept as he told AFP news agency that his wife and three children were trapped in the rubble.

The cause of the collapse is being investigated.

The building was used for both residential and commercial purposes, according to initial assessments conducted by the NDMA.

The agency’s head Brima Sesay stressed the need to raise “public awareness about the risks associated with using unqualified contractors and substandard building materials”.

He also said his agency “will continue conducting vulnerability assessments to help reduce the frequency of building collapses across the country”.

Sierra Leone is one of the world’s poorest countries, and buildings are often built with substandard materials.