NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Many people feared they would be trapped when a large building collapsed Friday in Kenya’s capital, leaving a huge mound of concrete and more than a dozen floors stacked like pancakes, with little space between them.
The building was under construction when it collapsed around 1 p.m. along a busy shopping street in Nairobi’s Eastleigh district, often populated by thousands of traders and residents.
Nairobi police chief Issa Mohamud said the building had more than 10 upper floors under construction. Rescue operations were complicated, with police firing tear gas at people who had begun looting nearby stores, as officers sought to clear the area and give access to emergency response teams.
Joseph Kaula escaped just in time. A plasterer working on the fifth floor, he said he heard screams and saw other workers rushing outside, shouting that the building was collapsing.
“I was the last person to come out before it collapsed and the whole area was filled with dust,” Kaula said.
Kaula suspects that a few of his colleagues were trapped in the basement.
An injured woman was rescued and hospitalized, and another person who was calling for help remained silent, the police chief said.
Mohamud also warned of a possible secondary collapse, as the collapsed building was leaning on its neighbor.
There was little heavy equipment immediately available. Hours later, a group of rescuers wearing safety helmets used poles torn from trees to search the huge pile of rubble. An excavator began moving the steel-bonded concrete. In the evening, at least two more backhoes arrived.
Rescuers hoped to access the remaining spaces in the basement and ground floor, which had been rented for an electronics store, a butcher’s shop and a grocery store while work continued on the upper floors.
Residents said some of their loved ones trapped in the trap called for help immediately after the collapse, but then their phones became inaccessible. A tent was set up so people could report the missing. It was unclear how many people might be inside the wreckage.
Building collapses are a recurring problem in Nairobi. County officials responsible for issuing building permits have been accused of failing to conduct adequate inspections to ensure developers are following safety guidelines and building standards.
“Investigations will be carried out,” Mohamud said. “We will ensure that people are brought to justice in cases of negligence.”
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said the building had been approved for construction, but it did not have a certificate of occupancy, so opening shops on the ground floor was against the law. Kenya’s county governments need stronger enforcement powers, he said, arguing that light penalties for non-compliance are just a “slap on the wrist” for developers who break regulations.
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