Briefs

Tanzanian tycoon kidnapped

A tycoon said to be Tanzania’s wealthiest resident has been kidnapped from a spa hotel by masked gunmen. Mohammed Dewji was abducted yesterday shortly after arriving at the gym at the Colosseum Hotel Oyster Bay in Dar es Salaam. Police said three foreigners had been detained in connection with the kidnapping of Dewji, known to fellow countrymen as “Mo”. However, conflicting reports have surfaced surrounding the disappearance of the 43-year-old and a motive for his abduction remains unclear. Financial magazine Forbes puts Dewji’s wealth at US$1.5 billion ($2.3b), and in a 2017 report, it said Dewji was Africa’s youngest billionaire. Dar es Salaam is seen as a relatively safe city. However, crime involving well-known figures is on the rise.

Seven killed in mall collapse

A shopping mall under construction in the Mexican city of Monterrey collapsed yesterday, killing at least seven people and leaving another 10 missing, officials said. Two people were pulled alive from the rubble, according to the civil defence office in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, where Monterrey is located. The concrete slabs of the three-storey structure appear to have pancaked, falling one atop another. All of the victims appear to have been construction workers employed at the building site. Between 20 and 25 workers were believed to be working there when the collapse occurred.

12 die in mudslide

Colombian disaster officials say at least 12 people have died in a mudslide that swept through their mountainside homes. Officials say the slide in the central Colombian town of Marquetalia caught the victims while the slept. Four of the dead were children. Officials said 53 people were rescued. Heavy rains cause floods and mudslides that kill dozens of people every year in Colombia. Yesterday’s mudslide destroyed seven homes and affected 16 families. Colombia’s National Institute for Environmental Studies warned that eight provinces in the country could face mudslides in the coming days.

FBI faces misconduct allegations

The FBI has reassigned several employees based in Asia amid allegations of misconduct. The agency released a statement in response to a Wall Street Journal report yesterday that the Justice Department’s inspector general was investigating allegations against FBI employees in some half a dozen cities, including locations in East and Southeast Asia.