Kenya 6-Storey Building Collapse Kills Two
Published December 6, 2019
No lesser than two people have been killed in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital after a six-storey residential building as rescue operations continue to rescue trapped people. The total number of people inside the building at the time of the collapse has not yet been determined but according to a Twitter post by the Kenya Red Cross, 11 people had been rescued by late afternoon, Al Jazeera reported.
As rescue operations continued in Nairobi’s Tassia estate, scores of people clustered around the pancaked structure waiting to find news of their family and friends. The Associated Press news agency quoted officials as saying two people had been killed, with at least eight injured.
Reuben Ndolo, the Nairobi regional police commander, told Reuters news agency: “Three people have died, and 27 others have been rushed to hospital. One was seriously injured.” “Tragedy has struck us again,” public works official Gordon Kihalangwa said.
“Some people have been trapped inside and we are doing our best to free them.” Building collapses are common in Nairobi, where housing is in high demand and unscrupulous developers often bypass regulations.
After eight buildings collapsed and killed 15 people in Kenya in 2015, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered an audit of all the country’s buildings to see if they were up to code. The National Construction Authority found that 58 percent of buildings in the capital were unfit for habitation.
