Rescue teams have recovered the body of a woman from the collapsed building in Eastleigh, Nairobi, as the search for people still missing under the rubble continues.
The body was found at around 6am on Friday, October 30, after rescuers managed to reach the basement of the building, which came down on October 23.
At least 15 people are still believed to be trapped beneath the debris, although authorities have not given a fresh update on their whereabouts following Friday morning’s recovery.
The National Disaster Management Unit is leading the operation alongside the Kenya Red Cross, Nairobi County officials and the police.
Rescue workers have been using trucks to remove debris from the site, clearing sections of the rubble to create room for teams to reach areas deeper inside the building.
On Wednesday, October 28, NDMU Director Duncan Ochieng said 16 people were still unaccounted for. Authorities were also using mobile phone records to help establish where some of the missing people could have been at the time of the collapse.
Nine of the missing people had phone records placing them within the affected area. Officials were still waiting for information on four others, while families were being asked to confirm details of three additional contacts.
The search had earlier raised hopes after specialised equipment operated by Chinese experts detected what were believed to be two people alive beneath the rubble on Tuesday evening. Rescuers have also been using acoustic detectors, thermal imaging equipment and radar to search for signs of life.
Families of those still missing have continued to wait at the scene for news of their loved ones.
It is not only the people working within the building who have been affected by the building collapse. On Thursday, traders from Kamukunji protested eviction from their shops because of claims from the authorities that the collapse could have endangered the lives of people in buildings near it, such as the Kamukunji Business Centre.
However, the police in the Directorate of Criminal Investigations have continued questioning a number of individuals regarding the circumstances of the collapse and whether or not the guidelines for construction were adhered to.
Moreover, the situation has led to an argument between Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino over whether the approval for the building was done legally.
While Sakaja threatened action over the claims on social media, Owino did not apologize and stood firm on his claims as he felt he raised the issue regarding public safety.
