South African authorities tried to halt work at collapsed mall

Reuters

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African municipal authorities had obtained a court order a month ago to block construction at a mall which collapsed on Tuesday, killing at least one person and trapping up to 50 more under rubble, a senior official said. "There are areas of the law that they did not follow in terms of building of this infrastructure," deputy mayor Nomvuzo Shabalala told broadcaster ENCA. "We were not aware that they were continuing building." (Reporting by Stella Mapenzauswa; Editing by Ed Cropley)