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A seven-storey building has sunk into its
foundation in Kware, Embakasi, Nairobi.
The incident occured Monday night, according
to police.
Most families were evacuated but police say
some people may still be trapped in the rubble.
According to the Embakasi police boss, 121
people have been accounted for.
Rescue efforts are under way.
Joas Nemati, a resident, explained that at
1pm on Monday workers and the caretaker of the building repaired a huge crack
on one of the staircases and assured them the house was intact.
But at 6pm, Mr Nemati said, his wife called
him saying tenants had been ordered to leave immediately as the building was
coming down.
Police arrived at the scene and assisted in
evacuating residents, but a woman and her three children refused to leave.
The whereabouts of the woman and the children
remain unknown.
Dorothy Aoko, a tenant, was on Tuesday
morning looking for her two children, aged 22 and 15, who she claimed might be
trapped in the building.
The mother of five said two of her children
were in the house having supper when the building came down.
The number of missing occupants is yet to be
confirmed, the Kenya Red Cross said on its Twitter feed.
At 10.30am the excavation work was stopped to
allow rescue personnel to check on a trapped survivor who had called for help.
Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, during a visit
to the scene, said the building was not approved by the county.
Mr Kidero said over 30,000 buildings the city
earmarked for demolition are yet to be brought down due to court orders.
The country has witnessed similar tragedies
in the past. Last year, nearly 50 people died when a building collapsed in
Huruma estate, Nairobi.
