A tragic incident occurred in Kenya’s capital on Monday as a three-storey building undergoing demolition suddenly collapsed, trapping numerous people under the rubble.
The building, located in a densely populated area of Nairobi, came down unexpectedly while people were inside retrieving their belongings.
A local resident Faith Opuko reported that up to ten young men might be trapped in the debris. “There might be about 8, 9 or 10 young men, who are trapped there. So far so good, but the government has totally failed us today.
Rescue efforts arrived too late, after five hours with no help,” Opuko lamented, expressing frustration at the delayed response from authorities.
Eugene Atonga, a survivor of the collapse, described the chaotic scene as the building began to give way.
“As people were trying to salvage their steel, the building started collapsing. Those who heard shouts of the building going down, quickly got out, but some who were on the upper floors feared jumping and the building caved in with them inside. I saw two people being crushed,” Atonga recounted.
Rescue efforts were hampered by the extensive damage and the instability of the remaining structure.
A Red Cross official on the scene confirmed that two people had been rescued, while the other two remained trapped.
However, a local police chief indicated that only one person had been brought out alive.
The disaster has prompted immediate action from authorities, who have ordered the evacuation and demolition of several buildings in the area.
