Local News
Rescue operations continue into the night after multi-storey building collapses in Nairobi’s Eastleigh
Kenyan rescue teams are working to reach people trapped under the rubble, as the Nairobi Governor says the building did not comply with construction guidelines.
Nairobi (SONNA) - Rescue operations continued into the night on Friday after a multi-storey building collapsed in the Eastleigh area of Nairobi, with people still trapped beneath the rubble.
The building, on 9th Street next to Bin Ali Hotel, came down on Friday afternoon. Firefighters, the National Youth Service, the Kenya Red Cross and Nairobi City County are leading the rescue operation, and security has been tightened around the site.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, speaking to the media at the scene, said the priority was to save the lives of those still trapped under the rubble, and that questions would be asked once the rescue operation was over.
In a later interview with Citizen TV, Sakaja said the building had not complied with construction guidelines and that legal action would be taken against its owner. He said rescue officers were clearing parts of the rubble to allow oxygen to reach those trapped inside.
Excavators and other heavy machinery worked through the evening to break through the collapsed concrete floors, as rescue teams and residents gathered around the site.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said the Kenya Red Cross had reported being in communication with workers trapped in the building. “We are praying for all those workers trapped in the collapsed building in Eastleigh,” he said.
Somalia’s Ambassador to Kenya, Jabril Ibrahim Abdulle, described the incident as unfortunate and said it had taken place in Eastleigh, a neighbourhood that is home to a large Somali community. He told SONNA that lives had been lost and businesses destroyed, and that figures on the loss of life and damage to businesses would be released later, as the focus remained on the rescue operation.
The Ambassador said he shared this sad day with the Somali community in Nairobi.
Senator Sifuna expressed hope for a positive outcome for those still trapped. “We hope there will be silver lining to this otherwise sad story,” he said.
