Two people are believed to have lost their lives in the South C building collapse after the multi-storey building that was under construction crashed on Friday, January 2.
The incident took place in the busy Shopping Centre area around 8am when the South C building collapsed, with clouds of dust and debris engulfing the roads as people ran in panic away from the building.
The National Disaster Management Unit confirmed that it received an alert shortly after the incident and quickly dispatched a search and rescue team consisting of police officers and other emergency responders.
South C building collapse triggers rescue mission
According to the Kenya Red Cross Society, a response team was quickly formed after the South C building collapse and was working on how to contain the situation and rescue those trapped.
“The area has been cordoned off as the search and rescue process is ongoing by the National Disaster Management Unit, Nairobi City County, the National Police of Kenya, and the Kenya Red Cross,” the Red Cross reported.
At the time of writing this report, rescue efforts were still being made to reach at least two people believed to have been trapped under the rubbles. Additionally, there were fears of possible collapse of another building that had shown signs of movement.
However, NMDU stated that all rescue efforts were undertaken with caution to avoid posing further risks. The NMDU further explained that it was only until rescuers were able to access the ground and first floors of the collapsed building that the stability of the near-by building would be evaluated by the NCA. The residents were also asked to be alert.
This is in the backdrop of rising fears regarding the safety of construction in Nairobi. Less than a month ago, the NCA asked the residents of Westlands to be on the look out as cracks were visible on a 13-story building under construction on Peponi Road.
This building was reported to be on the verge of collapse owing to structural defects, hence the deployment of the quality assurance team to carry out the required checks.
Cases involving buildings under construction have been on the increase, especially in the Westlands and neighboring regions. For example, on July 31 last year, several workers were injured after a wall caved in at a construction site along Rhapta Road. The construction site had been reported to have numerous safety hazards and measures not in place.
Caused by a three-story building collapse at a construction site, one life was lost early this month on Third Avenue, Parklands, as the structure collapsed when workers were away, leaving a man who was supposed to watch CCTV footage trapped inside.
Even as rescue missions are still underway, following South C building collapse, there is renewed debate on construction regulations and enforcement on the rapidly rising skyline of Nairobi.
