Kampala - Seven people were killed when a building under construction in the Ugandan capital Kampala collapsed Tuesday, police said.

Rescue work was continuing into the night, with workers pulling away mud and rubble of the structure belonging to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). Seven more people were feared still trapped.

Heavy rains may have caused the soil around the building's foundation to cave in under the hollowed-out basement, burying the workers, police spokesman Simeon Nsubuga said.

"We have got out seven bodies while two other rescued people with injuries have been taken to hospital," he said. "The workers were on a foundation which was 40 feet below ground level." (dpa)