NAIROBI, Kenya – Six people have died and five others have been rescued after an eight-storey building under construction collapsed along Mombasa Road near the Nairobi SGR Terminus on Friday morning.
The structure came crashing down at approximately 9:52am on November 13 while construction workers were reportedly at the site, triggering an emergency response involving county rescue teams and other agencies.
A situation report issued by Nairobi City County emergency response teams confirmed that six bodies had been retrieved from the rubble, while five survivors were rescued and rushed to hospital for emergency medical attention.
Three bodies were recovered during the initial rescue operation, with three more retrieved as teams continued clearing the debris.
The exact number of workers who were inside the building when it collapsed had not been established by the time of the report.
“The exact number of workers who were on site at the time of the collapse is still being established. Search and rescue teams are actively combing the debris to locate any individuals who may remain trapped,” the county said.
One person still reported missing
The Kenya Red Cross said its emergency response team had joined other agencies at the scene, with search and rescue operations continuing for one person reported missing.
“Our Red Cross Action Team is on site, working alongside other partners. We will share more updates as they come in,” the organisation said in a post on X.
The Nairobi City County Fire team and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) personnel were among the responders deployed to the site.
Authorities appealed to motorists and members of the public using Mombasa Road near the SGR Terminus to keep away from the affected area to allow emergency teams to work without obstruction.
The cause of the collapse had not been established, and officials were yet to provide a definitive account of the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The tragedy adds to growing concerns over the safety of buildings under construction in Kenya, following another deadly multi-storey building collapse in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area in October.
That earlier incident triggered a prolonged multi-agency rescue operation and renewed scrutiny of construction standards, building approvals and enforcement of safety regulations. <Cite refs={[“turn605660news22″,”turn605660search2″,”turn605660search7”]}/>
