Second person rescued from collapsed Eastleigh building

A second individual was rescued from the collapsed under construction building in Nairobi's Eastleigh district on Saturday, and quickly transported to Kenyatta National Hospital for medical attention. The first victim had been pulled from the rubble 24 hours prior to this second rescue. Police and the Kenya Red Cross jointly confirmed the rescue, with emergency response teams persistently searching through the debris for anyone feared trapped following Friday's collapse on 9th Street.

The two rescued victims were reported to be in stable condition at the hospital, with onlookers cheering the efforts of the rescue teams. The Nairobi police chief, Issa Mohamud, stated that all 67 construction workers on-site when the building collapsed had been accounted for. Sixty-six workers escaped unharmed, while one suffered injuries and is receiving treatment in the hospital.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who toured the scene on Friday night alongside Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku, confirmed that seven people were reported missing after the multi-storey structure came tumbling down on Friday afternoon. He added that rescue operations were ongoing, with teams diligently working to locate and save anyone potentially trapped under the debris.

Murkomen disclosed that 11 shops located on the ground floor and basement of the building were operational at the time of the collapse, which raised fears about the potential presence of traders, customers and other occupants within the disaster zone. A collective search and rescue team consisting of the Kenya Defence Forces, National Police Service, Nairobi City County Government, National Youth Service, Kenya Red Cross and other government entities were coordinating the efforts.

The government urged families of the missing individuals to contact the Kenya Red Cross via their emergency response number, 1199, to aid in locating their loved ones and facilitate the coordination process. Murkomen assured the public that the government would provide necessary support to expedite the rescue operation and vowed to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the collapse in collaboration with relevant national and county government agencies and professional bodies.