A portion of the walls of the historic Old City of Kairouan in central Tunisia collapsed on Sunday (December 17), resulting in the death of three people carrying out repair works on the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Two more workers have also been injured in the accident, which saw a 30-meter-long section of the six-meter-high wall near the Gate of the Leather Workers crash to the ground, Tunisia's Civil Protection Department spokesperson Moez Tria said.
Islamic-Era Walled City
The Old City of Kairouan was founded in 670 and is considered one of North Africa's holiest Islamic cities. According to UNESCO, the city reached its peak under the Aghlabid dynasty in the 9th century.
It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, the BBC reported.
Kairouan is surrounded by massive city walls, which were under restoration when the accident happened, which Tria claimed was "linked to heavy rains in the area in recent days."
According to the Tunisian National Institute of Meteorology, the walled city received 1mm of rain in the 24 hours starting Saturday (December 16). It also said that showers would continue for the start of the week with heavy falls, especially in coastal cities and Kairouan, with amounts of up to 90mm.