One body has been recovered from the rubble of the collapsed building in Eastleigh, Nairobi, bringing the total number of bodies retrieved from the site to six as the multi-agency rescue operation enters its 14th day.
National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) Director Dr Duncan Onyango Ochieng said rescue teams had finally accessed the basement of the 18-storey building, where several people were believed to have been trapped following the October 23 collapse.
Speaking on Thursday, November 5, Ochieng said four bodies had been recovered during the morning operation, with three retrieved shortly before 6 am.
The three victims comprised two adult males and one adult female, while another body was being retrieved when he addressed the media.
“Fortunately enough, we have been able to reach the basement of the building. And unfortunately enough, we have been able to recover four bodies this morning.As we speak, three bodies were recovered shortly before 6 am this morning. That is two male adults and one female adult," he said.
“Currently, as we speak, we are in the process of retrieving another body, whose gender will be given to you as soon as the necessary assessment is done,” Ochieng said.
The latest recoveries bring the number of bodies retrieved from the rubble to six, while four people have previously been rescued alive since the building came down along 9th Street.
The recovery operation has been complicated by the scale of the structure and the manner in which it collapsed, with rescue teams having to navigate tonnes of concrete and debris to reach the lower sections.
Ochieng described the operation as particularly difficult, noting that the country had never experienced the collapse of a building of such height.
“The operation has not been very easy because of the type of building we are talking about and also the type of collapse that we had.
“In the history of this country, we have never experienced an 18-floor building collapse,” he said.
The building, still under construction, collapsed at about 1 pm on October 23, trapping workers, occupants, and others beneath the debris.
The structure was partially occupied, with businesses operating on the ground and basement floors, raising concerns about the number of people who could have been inside when it collapsed.
Emergency responders have since deployed heavy machinery, specialised equipment and search teams to clear the rubble and establish whether more victims remain trapped.
The operation has also involved the Kenya Red Cross and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, with authorities conducting verification exercises to establish the whereabouts of people reported missing.
The recovery of the latest bodies comes as rescuers intensify efforts to clear the remaining debris and establish the fate of those still missing.
Ochieng said teams had adopted a careful approach to navigating the wreckage, prioritising the possibility of saving lives while ensuring that deceased victims were recovered.
“The rescue teams have been able to intelligently go through the rubble to ensure that we save lives and we recover any person who could have died in the rubble,” he said.
The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of construction standards, building approvals and enforcement of safety regulations in Nairobi, particularly amid concerns over the rapid development of high-rise structures.
According to the Associated Press, Kenya recorded 98 building collapses over five years, resulting in 104 deaths and 80 injuries.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has previously raised concerns about the collapsed building's construction approvals and occupation, with investigations seeking to establish the circumstances surrounding the disaster.