Dozens Feared Trapped in Rubble after 18-Storey Building Collapses in Kenya
- A building along Nairobi's Yusuf Haji Avenue came down around 1 pm on Friday, trapping an unknown number of people
- The collapse happened during Friday prayers in the Muslim-majority neighbourhood, adding to fears over the number caught inside
- Emergency crews faced serious obstacles reaching survivors as chaos unfolded around the site
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A multi-storey building under construction collapsed in Nairobi's Eastleigh neighbourhood on Friday, 23 October, at around 1 pm, sending a massive cloud of dust rolling through the streets and sparking an urgent rescue operation.
Source: Twitter
The structure stood along Yusuf Haji Avenue, beside the Day to Day Supermarket on 9th Street. Kenya Red Cross confirmed the incident and announced that its response teams were heading to the site, asking members of the public to keep clear.
"A building has collapsed along Yusuf Haji Avenue, next to Day to Day Supermarket on 9th Street, Eastleigh. Kenya Red Cross response teams are en route to the scene. We urge the public to keep clear of the area to allow emergency teams to work safely," the organisation said in a statement shared on X.
A 19-second video filmed from a nearby balcony captured the moment the building gave way. The footage shows the partly built tower standing above the surrounding rooftops before dust erupts at its base and the entire structure folds inward within seconds.
A thick grey cloud then swallows the street below. A caption added to the clip in Somali appeared to be a prayer for those affected.
The building was reported to have housed shops and rental units on its lower floors while construction continued above, meaning traders, customers, and workers could all have been inside when it fell.
Nairobi police commander Issa Mohamed said the structure was "about 10 floors," though eyewitness accounts cited by various outlets placed the figure at between 13 and 18 floors. No official figure had been confirmed at the time of reporting.
Rescue efforts were led by the Nairobi County fire brigade, police, and county emergency teams. Mohamed confirmed additional officers were dispatched to coordinate the response, noting that "emergency crews are on site as efforts continue to search for survivors." No casualty figures had been released by the time this article was written.
Watch the X (Twitter) video below:
The response was hampered almost immediately. Friday congregational prayers had drawn large crowds to the predominantly Muslim neighbourhood, and onlookers packed 9th Street, temporarily blocking emergency vehicles. Witnesses reported that looting broke out near the site and that ambulances were pelted with stones, forcing them to take alternative routes. Police fired tear gas to disperse crowds and, according to Mohamed, to protect nearby businesses from theft.
Most shops in the area shut their doors, and traffic in and out of Eastleigh came to a standstill. Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja arrived at the site dressed in protective gear as rescue teams worked through the debris.
The cause of the collapse had not been established.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
