Second body recovered from Eastleigh rubble 12 days after building collapse

By  Kevin Cheruiyot

Correspondent

The rescue and recovery team at Eastleigh 9th Street, where the 18-storey building collapsed, has recovered the body of a woman, 12 days after the incident occurred.

This brings the total number of bodies recovered to two, following the previous recovery of a dismembered body of a woman.

While confirming the information, the Director of the National Disaster Management Unit Dr Duncan Ochieng said that the team has reached ground zero, where the missing people had been alleged to have been trapped.

"We are still on the site and we have recovered a body of a woman this evening. The operation is ongoing," Dr Ochieng said.

According to the earlier statement, the number of missing persons had reduced to 11 from 16 who had been reported.

Dr Ochieng had also cited that the operation was slow due to the confined space, and that they were clearing the debris from one angle, which also limited the use of all the deployed machines.

Some of the family members and friends of the missing people accused the government of the slow process that had stretched to 12 days.

Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan faulted the team for taking too long to clear the debris.

In an interview with the Nation about the state of the operation, Dr Ochieng said that, while the team is still trying to reach ground zero, the small size of the operating area has presented them with a significant challenge.

“We are still going on despite of facing many challenges, including maneuverability. The area is so confined and we may even not deploy all the four excavators at the same time because the area is too tight for us,” Dr Ochieng said, adding that with the small space, only three escalators are working while the other one is being rested.

He said that the number of people who are still missing remains 16 despite the recovery of a dismembered body of a woman on Friday.

The families of the missing people are still camping in tents, hoping that every moment of the excavators will get closer to the basement where the missing people are believed to be trapped.

But for Judith Cherubet, the sister of Rosemary Chepkoech, who was working in one of the shops in the collapsed building, the alleged phone call from one of the trapped people has revived their hopes.

“The lady who is inside called one of us yesterday though she could not speak but from the background noises, we could hear the movement of excavators. That is why you are seeing some of us smiling today where. The team has been doing good job and we are hoping to find our loved ones alive,” Ms Cherubet said.

However, Dr Ochieng could not confirm or deny the said phone call from the basement.

“I cannot ascertain that unless the DCIO gives us the contact and maybe zero in on whether the phone was ringing from that place or somewhere else.”

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