NAIROBI, Kenya- Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) personnel have joined a multi-agency search and rescue operation after a building under construction collapsed in Eastleigh, Nairobi, with seven people reported missing.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said KDF was working alongside the National Police Service, Nairobi City County, the National Youth Service, Kenya Red Cross and other government agencies at the site in Kamukunji Sub-County.
Murkomen issued the update after visiting the scene on Friday evening with Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku.
He said the rescue teams had contacted some of the people believed to be trapped and were working to reach them.
The building collapsed along Yusuf Haji Avenue, near 9th Street, in the busy Eastleigh commercial area.
Rescue operations continued into the night, with excavators and sniffer dogs also reported at the scene.
Seven people reported missing
Murkomen said 67 construction workers were at the site when the building came down.
All had been accounted for: 66 escaped without injuries, while one was injured and was in stable condition in hospital.
However, 11 shops on the building’s ground floor and basement were occupied at the time of the collapse.
Seven people connected to those premises had been reported missing, according to the government’s update.
The Kenya Red Cross is asking people whose relatives may be missing to report them through its emergency response number, 1199.
Authorities urged the public to keep access routes clear so emergency teams can continue working.
The government said it was providing support to the rescuers and arranging assistance, including psychosocial support, for affected people and families.
Investigation promised
Murkomen said national and county agencies would investigate the cause of the collapse in consultation with relevant professional bodies. He said anyone found responsible would be held accountable.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja earlier said the building had county approval but did not have an occupation certificate, according to reporting from the scene.
The collapse drew crowds to the area, and police worked to clear access for emergency responders.
The Kenya Red Cross and county emergency teams were also involved in the search.
Murkomen expressed sympathy to families whose loved ones remained missing and wished the injured worker a quick recovery.
