NAIROBI, Kenya — A pregnant woman has been rescued alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in Eastleigh, Nairobi, offering a glimmer of hope to families anxiously waiting for news of their missing relatives.
The woman was pulled from the debris on Saturday evening, October 24, by Kenya Red Cross teams working alongside other emergency responders. She was subsequently rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital for medical attention, according to reports from the scene.
Her rescue came after hours of painstaking efforts to reach people feared trapped beneath the remains of the multi-storey building, which collapsed along 9th Street on Friday afternoon.
The operation had earlier yielded another breakthrough when a man was rescued alive after spending approximately 27 hours beneath the rubble. The two rescues have renewed hopes that more people could be found alive as emergency teams continue their search.
The collapse of the building, which was under construction, triggered a major multi-agency response involving security personnel, disaster management teams and humanitarian organisations.
Authorities have faced challenges establishing the exact number of people who may still be trapped. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen initially reported seven people missing, while the Kenya Red Cross said it had received 31 missing-person reports that were still being verified.
The humanitarian organisation explained that some individuals initially reported missing could have left the construction site before the incident, making it necessary to contact families and establish their whereabouts.
The incident has also renewed scrutiny of building approvals and construction safety in Nairobi. Governor Johnson Sakaja said a review of county records indicated that an application for a proposed building exceeding 15 floors had been submitted but was not approved.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the collapse are ongoing, as rescue teams work to establish whether more people remain beneath the debris.
The disaster has raised fresh concerns about construction oversight and the enforcement of building regulations, particularly in densely populated commercial neighbourhoods where construction sites operate close to businesses and members of the public.