Night of horror as 12 confirmed dead, 58 missing in Nairobi tragedy

 

Rescue workers from Kenya Police, Kenya Redcross, Kenya Army, well wishers and onlookers at the scene of the seven-storey building that collapsed in Nairobi's Huruma Estate on Friday evening. Several occupants died and others rushed to various hospitals in Nairobi on April 30th,2016. (PHOTO: ELVIS OGINA/ STANDARD)

The death toll from the collapsed seven-storey building in Nairobi’s Huruma estate rose to 12 as more bodies were found in the muddy rubble yesterday.

A rescue operation was still going on in what remained of the 198-room flat last night, as the search for 58 missing people continued. At least 81 people are reported to have been injured.

The police, military, Kenya Red Cross and personnel from the National Youth Service (NYS) were last night scrambling to rescue more survivors from the rubble.

The police also announced a manhunt for the owner the collapsed building, and ordered him to report to the nearest police station.

“The seven-storey residential building with 24 units on each floor collapsed following heavy rains, trapping an unknown number of people who were in the building at the time of collapse,” read a Situation Report issued last evening.

Yesterday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery told journalists a woman and her child were trapped inside the rubble.

Efforts to trace them were ongoing.

Many of the survivors were taken to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital and some to the Kenyatta National Hospital.

The police, volunteers and the Kenya Red Cross braved the rain on Friday night to rescue of dozens of people trapped in the building.

All relevant agencies had deployed all manner of tools and manpower to salvage life that was still lingering in the rubbles of the building.

Some structures had to be brought down to pave way for reaching the collapsed building, before the actual rescue mission begun.

At the scene, the Red Cross, Sonko Rescue Team, Nairobi County and the National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) joined efforts in the rescue operation.

Peter Kioko, 26, said he was rescued from the rubble by these crews.

“I was opening the door to my house when I heard people screaming. I then went to the balcony which suddenly sank. I was trapped in the wreckage for three hours before I was rescued,” Kioko, who operates a printing business in the city centre, said.

Another man threw himself to the ground in frustration because he could not trace his brother. He was immediately rescued by Red Cross volunteers who took him in for counselling.

The government ordered the evacuation of nearby storey buildings that had earlier been declared unfit for human habitation.

Families moved from the storey buildings were relocated to Daima Primary school, where they were expected to spend the night.

Despite the impending rain and darkness, many of the residents in the adjacent houses could be seen carrying their belongings in pick up trucks and hand carts.

Red Cross set up camp at the Huruma CDF hall where those searching for their relatives could be helped. Volunteers showed up, among them ACK church members, to help victims.

A counselling session was underway where survivors were interviewed by experts.

Worried families camping at the CDF offices waited for news, any news, about their next of kin who were still trapped under the rubble.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi, Inspector General Joseph Boinnet, Nairobi Deputy Governor Jonathan Mueke and scores of city MPs and aspiring politicians toured the densely populated neighbourhood to console the survivors and give them hope.

President Kenyatta issued stern warnings about substandard buildings, saying a crackdown would be launched to deal with corrupt officers and to bring down shoddy buildings.

The Head of State also ordered eviction of persons living in condemned buildings. He also ordered immediate arrest of owners of the houses whose building plans were not approved and those with no occupation certificates.