Eastleigh building collapse: Rescue operations to end

Search and rescue operations at the site of the collapsed 18-storey building on 9th Street Avenue in Eastleigh could end on Thursday.

National Disaster Management Unit Director Duncan Onyango said the multi-agency team had cleared about 80 percent of the rubble, but had neither rescued anyone nor recovered any bodies since Saturday.

“We are racing against time, but since Saturday, we have not been able to rescue anyone...We hope to achieve our objective by the end of today (Thursday) or tomorrow, depending on the technical challenges we encounter,” Mr Onyango said.

The prospects of finding the missing people alive continue to diminish as families, relatives and friends wait anxiously at the site for news of their loved ones.

Nairobi North Regional Commissioner Simon Osumba said the number of people reported missing had dropped from 20 to 16 after verification. Phone signals indicate that nine of them may have been inside the building when it collapsed.

“After verification, the number of missing people has dropped from 20 to 16. Phone signals indicate nine may have been at the site, four cases await confirmation, and three people have not provided their phone numbers,” Mr Osumba said.

He said police detectives were working with telecommunications companies to establish the last known locations of the nine people whose phone signals placed them within the building.

“We are still waiting for the information about the four people, and we are still waiting for their contacts,” he said.

Mr Osumba added that the multi-agency team had been updating families on developments at the site as the operation progressed.

Meanwhile, Eastleigh business community leaders have called for a comprehensive inspection of buildings in the area to prevent a recurrence of the tragedy.

Their call comes as the county awaits the outcome of investigations into the collapse, after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) directed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to move with speed in establishing the circumstances that led to the building’s collapse.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.