Eight dead after 15-day search at Nairobi collapse
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Tuko
Rescuers recovered eight bodies and saved four people after 15 days of searches at the collapsed 18-storey building in Eastleigh, Nairobi. Three people remain missing as Kenyan authorities open an investigation into the cause of the collapse, according to Tuko.
Kenyan authorities have ended the 15-day search and rescue operation following the collapse of an 18-storey building in the Eastleigh neighbourhood of Nairobi. Eight bodies were recovered from the rubble and four people were rescued alive, Simon Osumba, Nairobi North County Commissioner, announced, as quoted by Tuko.
The operation began on 23 October and ended after accessible parts of the building had been searched, including basements where victims were believed to be trapped, according to Simon Osumba. Three people remain missing and will now be considered missing persons, while the site is to be secured to allow commercial activities to resume.
Six of the eight bodies recovered were women and two were men. Post-mortem examinations and DNA tests are under way at the Nairobi mortuary to identify some victims, according to authorities cited by Tuko. The Nairobi County Government has also announced assistance for affected families.
The collapse had already prompted several rescue operations. On 27 October, six survivors were rescued in the collapsed Nairobi building. On 6 November, the body of a mother was also found after 15 days of searches in the rubble.
