Reports indicate rescue operations have begin following a building collapse that occurred on Tuesday November 15 in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
Rescue efforts have started as there are fears that construction workers are trapped under the debris. Some of the victims of the collapse are reportedly receiving medical attention in a nearby hospital, according to witnesses.
“It was at 2 p.m. when we noticed that the building’s pillars had begun to crumble. We then started screaming to alert the people who were inside the building to escape. Some of them managed to escape while others did not”, said witness John Muli.
Isaiah Maina, a different witness, noted that “Simply put, the structure is bad. When you look at the columns and the materials, they are not set up as they should be.”
In Kenya, eight structures collapsed in 2015, killing 15. According to a National Construction Authority study, 58% of Nairobi’s structures are unsafe for habitation.
In Nairobi, where there is a huge demand for housing and shady developers frequently flout regulations, building collapses are widespread.