NAIROBI, Kenya- A second woman’s body has been recovered from the rubble of the building that collapsed on 9th Street in Eastleigh, Nairobi, as rescue teams continue searching for people still missing.
The National Police Service said a multi-agency team retrieved the body on Tuesday, November 3, bringing the number of bodies recovered to two.
Four people have been rescued alive since the 16-storey building came down, according to police.
Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan said he was deeply saddened by the latest recovery and sent condolences to the woman’s family, relatives and friends, who had waited at the scene hoping for a different outcome.
“Every family deserves to bring their loved one home, and the search must not end until every person is accounted for,” Hassan said.
He thanked rescue teams working in difficult conditions and said he would continue standing with families still waiting for news.
Building collapsed on October 23
The building, which was still under construction, collapsed on Friday, October 23.
Rescue teams have since worked through concrete and debris to reach the lower sections of the structure, where people were believed to be trapped.
The first body, also that of a woman, was recovered on October 30, a week after the collapse.
The incident prompted questions about construction approvals and whether the building was legally occupied.
At the scene on the day of the collapse, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said the building had received construction approval but lacked an occupation certificate, which is required before a building can be occupied.
He also criticised weak enforcement, saying some building violations attracted fines as low as Sh5,000.
Sakaja later said the county had approved a change of use for the property, but had not approved the architectural plans submitted for the building.
He called on professional bodies to investigate the people involved in the development and said the county had forwarded information to investigators.
The cause of the collapse and any individual responsibility remain subject to investigation.
Rescue and recovery efforts are continuing as families wait for all those unaccounted for to be located.
