Two rescued after Nairobi building collapse, with five still missing

Two people have been pulled alive from the rubble of a building that collapsed in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, as a search continues for five still missing. Dramatic footage shows the bottom floor of the block, thought to have been 16 or 18 storeys, giving way before the rest of the building crumples, sending a plume of dust into the surrounding streets on Friday.

Dozens of builders were working on the upper floors when it collapsed, but they emerged largely unscathed. Those missing were believed to have been in shops at the building’s base. The incident has raised fresh concerns about construction standards and regulations in Kenya. Police said on Saturday that they had launched a manhunt for the building’s owner and the contractor responsible for the site.

The block collapsed on Friday afternoon while under construction, with footage showing scaffolding still wrapped around the outside of the building. Officials said 11 shops had already opened on the bottom floors. Interior ministry official Kipchumba Murkomen said 66 of the 67 construction workers in the building at the time had escaped unharmed, while the other had suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

He had said on Friday that seven people had been reported missing and rescue teams had made contact with some of those trapped beneath the rubble. Police said the two survivors rescued on Saturday have been taken to hospital. Images from the scene in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area show the building’s concrete floors piled on top of one another, as rescue workers saw through metal to reach those believed to be trapped underneath.

Footage taken from nearby shows moments before (left) and moments after (right) the building collapsed Questions have emerged about why the building suddenly collapsed and whether it met planning regulations. Kenya’s National Construction Authority said in a statement that it had identified the company behind the development, as well as the architect and structural engineer, but did not say whether it had inspected the site before Friday.

The National Police Service said it had launched an investigation to establish the cause of the collapse and determine whether anyone was criminally liable. It warned that anyone found responsible for negligence or violating building regulations would “face the full force of the law”. Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson told local media that the building’s owners lacked the required paperwork to occupy it.

He urged the national government to give local authorities greater powers to penalise “developers who disregard approved building plans and safety standards”. Building collapses are not uncommon in Nairobi, with poor construction or improper planning often cited as contributing factors.