Seven missing after multi-storey building collapses in Kenya's capital
Rescue efforts are under way to find people trapped under the block, which was still under construction when it buckled.
Seven people are missing after a multi-storey building collapsed in Kenya’s capital
A search-and-rescue operation is underway to locate seven people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble after a building came down in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Dramatic video shows the lower level of the block, believed to have been 16 or 18 storeys high, giving way before the rest of the structure collapses, sending a cloud of dust into nearby streets.
Dozens of construction workers had been on the upper floors when it fell, but they were able to get out largely unharmed. The missing were believed to have been in shops that had opened at the base of the building.
The incident has renewed concerns over construction standards and regulations in Kenya.
The block was still under construction when it collapsed on Friday afternoon, with footage showing scaffolding still surrounding the outside of the building. Officials said 11 shops had already opened on the lower floors.
Interior ministry official Kipchumba Murkomen said 66 of the 67 construction workers in the building at the time were able to escape unharmed, while the remaining worker suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Rescue work has been complicated by fears that digging with excavators could reduce the air supply to those trapped, prompting emergency responders to stop using them, according to the Daily Nation newspaper.
Questions have arisen over why the building suddenly collapsed and whether it complied with planning regulations.
Kenya’s National Construction Authority said in a statement that it had identified the company behind the development, along with the architect and structural engineer, but did not say whether the site had been inspected before Friday.
Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson told local media that the building’s owners did not have the required paperwork for the building to be occupied.
He called on the national government to give local authorities more power to penalise "developers who disregard approved building plans and safety standards".
Building collapses are not unusual in Nairobi, with poor construction or improper planning often blamed as contributing factors.