NAIROBI, Kenya- At least four people were injured after a building that formerly housed Club Avenida collapsed during demolition along Moi Avenue in Nairobi’s Central Business District early Saturday.
The building, near MKU Union Towers, came down as workers were demolishing it.
Police and emergency responders rushed to the scene and began searching the rubble after several people were feared trapped.
Witnesses said about 25 people had been inside the building.
By around 1 am, they had been accounted for, although responders were still searching for a man believed to be trapped.
The four injured people were taken to hospital.
Three were reported to be in stable condition, while one was in critical condition.
Their identities had not been released by the time of publication.
Nairobi City County Chief Officer for Citizen Engagement and Customer Service Geoffrey Mosiria called for a thorough investigation into the collapse.
Mosiria said county engineers should establish what caused the building to give way, determine whether qualified professionals supervised the demolition and verify whether the necessary approvals had been obtained.
He also urged developers to follow county regulations and work with engineers to ensure demolition activities do not endanger workers or members of the public.
The former Club Avenida premises had been fenced off ahead of redevelopment.
The cause of the collapse had not been established by Saturday morning.
