A seven-story building in northern Nairobi has collapsed, prompting the evacuation of nearby structures as authorities assess the scene and search for potential survivors.
Residents of a seven-story apartment building in the Kenyan capital managed to avoid disaster.
Shocking footage revealed the apartment block in Kahawa West, which had suddenly collapsed and was reduced to rubble.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja stated that the households in the affected building had received an evacuation notice from the County Planning Department last week.
On Sunday, the Kenya Red Cross announced that two individuals were rescued and transported to Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital.
Two neighboring buildings have shown signs of structural failure, leading to the evacuation of their tenants.
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A search and rescue mission is still ongoing.
Despite the building being condemned and tenants instructed to leave, there are concerns that some may not have found another place to stay and might still be inside.
The National Construction Authority stated that the building owner had been instructed to submit a structural integrity report. However, the structure collapsed before this could be completed.
According to media reports, the responsibility appears to lie with Nairobi County’s urban planning department.
In Nairobi, there is a strong demand for housing, prompting some unscrupulous developers to frequently disregard regulations. This has resulted in a history of building collapses in the Kenyan capital.
