NAIROBI-(MaraviPost)-Rescue teams in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, have pulled two people alive from the rubble of a collapsed building, as the search continues for five others reported missing.
According to the BBC, the building collapsed on Friday afternoon in the Eastleigh area, prompting an emergency rescue operation involving police and other response teams.
Police said on Saturday that they had launched a manhunt for the building’s owner and the contractor responsible for the construction project.
Dramatic footage of the incident shows the lower floors giving way before the rest of the structure crumbled, sending thick clouds of dust into surrounding streets.
The building, believed to have been between 16 and 18 storeys high, was still under construction when it collapsed, with several shops already operating on its ground floor.
Interior Ministry official Kipchumba Murkomen said 66 of the 67 construction workers who were inside the building at the time escaped unharmed, while one sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Authorities said the two survivors rescued on Saturday were taken to hospital, while emergency workers continued cutting through concrete and twisted metal in search of those still trapped.
The disaster has renewed concerns over construction safety and regulatory enforcement in Kenya, where building collapses have previously been linked to poor construction practices and breaches of planning requirements.
Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson said the building’s owners lacked the necessary documentation for occupation, while police vowed to take legal action against anyone found responsible for negligence or violations of construction regulations.
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