two rescued from collapsed Nairobi building
search continues for five people still missing after a 16 or 18-storey block crumbled on Friday.
Two people were pulled alive from the rubble of a building that collapsed in Nairobi on Friday, with a search ongoing for five others still missing. The 16 or 18-storey block crumbled, sending a plume of dust into the streets. 66 of the 67 construction workers in the building at the time escaped unharmed, though one suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The five missing people were thought to have been in shops on the building's base floors, where 11 shops had already opened.
Police said on Saturday that a manhunt had begun for the building's owner and the contractor. Dramatic footage showed the bottom floor giving way before the rest of the building collapsed. Dozens of builders working on upper floors managed to get out largely unscathed. Interior ministry official Kipchumba Murkomen confirmed the number of workers and the injured.
The incident has raised concerns about construction standards and regulations in Kenya. Police used tear gas to dispel looters and crowds of onlookers after the collapse. Rescue teams had made contact with some of those trapped beneath the rubble.
Why it mattersTwo people were rescued and five are still missing after a building collapsed in Nairobi.