Joy as four more people are pulled out of the collapsed Huruma building alive

Rescue workers carry away one of the four survivors who were removed from the debris of the collapsed storey building in Huruma, Nairobi, yesterday. [photo: BONIFACE OKENDO/stand

"Please, do not pierce my eyes," those were the startling words which momentarily halted rescue operations yesterday, on the sixth day since the collapse of a block of flats in Huruma, Nairobi.

It turned out that the feeble plea from beneath the rubble was from an eght-month pregnant mother of one who stunned rescue workers who have been sifting through the debris in desperate search of life.

Weak but driven by unbreakable motherly determination, Elizabeth Odhiambo, yearning to see a new dawn for her unborn baby as well as her two-year-old son, summoned the last reserves of her energy to announce that she was still alive.

The unexpected voice drew the attention of a rescuer who was poking a slab lying above Elizabeth, which had almost entombed her for nearly a week. It would take another four hours to free her from the deathly trap.

Those dramatic moments would open the door to the rescue of three other people in quick succession, lifting the spirits of a nation in mourning following the tragedy that has so far claimed 35 lives.

They were a man and two women who had been trapped in what appeared to have been a staircase, probably as they rushed down the steps before the building finally caved in. Unfortunately, one the women later died at Kenyatta National Hospital last night.

At 11:22am, the pregnant woman made contact with rescuers, 175 hours after the collapse of the seven-storey building, but because she was trapped from the waist downwards, and had fractured a leg and a hand, she could not immediately be pulled out.

A clinical officer and psychologist Stella Kamau stepped in to examine and stabilise Elizabeth as the rest of the team slowly cut through the debris to free her.

At 3:15pm, Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) medics carried her on a stretcher, as the crowds cheered wildly. She kept on uncovering her face murmuring feebly: "Acheni kunifunika uso (stop covering my face)," as one volunteer tried to adjust her oxygen mask.

Her dark complexion had turned whitish from days of dehydration and her eyes were hazy, probably from days of being subjected to dust and darkness.

Her short hair was covered with cement-like dust. A dirty traditional leso covered her frail body. She later lost her unborn baby.

There was another thunderous cheer from the onlookers at around 6pm when a man yelled from the bowels of the debris, "Utusaidie...Usituue (Please assist us. Do not kill us."

This interrupted the gigantic excavator, which was removing slabs from the scene. Rescuers frantically sifted through the debris and were finally rewarded when a middle-aged man clad in a t-shirt and a tattered trouser crawled out.

As the man briskly walked to freedom, he chanted "Asante Mungu, (Thank you God)" as he waved to the cheering crowd. He walked for about 40 metres and was assisted by aid workers into an ambulance.

A short while later, a woman was rescued from the same space and carried on a stretcher to the waiting ambulance.

Energised, the rescuers went back to the ruins and carted away yet another woman, who appeared weak and was breathing with difficulty. All the newly rescued survivors were then whisked out of the danger zone in two ambulances to Kenyatta National Hospital.

This marked the end of a dramatic day, which saw the aid workers pray just after the nine rabbits they had rescued a day earlier were fetched by a Good Samaritan who offered to take care of them.

The rescuers took this as a good omen as they were worried about the ruminants, which had pointed to signs of life after days of just retrieving bodies.

When the first survivor was detected, National Disaster Management Unit boss Pius Masai said at noon: "Yes, we have found a sign of life. It is a woman, she has no visible physical injuries and she can talk. She however, cannot walk. The doctor is down there examining her and she has been put on oxygen."

Nairobi County Executive Committee Member for Health, Dr Benard Muya, was forced to sharpen his medical skills as he was the doctor in charge of the lady.

"We have given her some glucose fluid through intravenous therapy and she is responding well. I cannot explain how she has survived. It is just a miracle," he said.

At 1pm, the two silent caterpillars roared back to life and the mission was to overturn a slab to get her out. It brought out the debris carefully so as not to damage the life under it.

When the machines were switched off, National Youth Service men stepped in with spades and did the scooping. Those who did not have spades used basins and buckets to get rid of the excess sand.

Song and dance

"The rescue is delicate. We do not want to rush and kill other survivors. When the found alive rabbits in the building we knew there was life," he said.

Women broke into song and dance when they saw the expectant mother being whisked away into the Red Cross ambulance.

Some went into frenzy and started singing, praying and even speaking in tongues thanking God for her survival.

"It is a miracle. I do not know her but I feel for her husband and children. I hear her husband is called Steve, they have a daughter and she is pregnant too. No one can explain her survival," said Mary Makiali before she broke into more song, dance and prayer.

At exactly 3:45pm, the ambulance pulled up at the Kenyatta National Hospital Accident and Emergency unit.

An hour later, Stephen Onyango, who said he was the woman's husband arrived at the hospital accompanied by a friend.