Three die in building collapse in Nairobi

Three people were confirmed killed after a six-level building collapsed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Friday.

Residents of the Tassia estate where the incident happened were first to the scene and rescued a number of people using only their bare hands, according to Nairobi county police chief Philip Ndolo.

A video showed people cheering as one dust-covered person was carried away on a stretcher.

Military personnel and emergency services later arrived at the site, fout on the eastern outskirts of the capital, to assist with the search and rescue operation.

The Kenya Red Cross tweeted that it was setting up psychosocial support services and a tracing desk.

Number of people trapped still unknown

Nairobi regional commissioner Wilson Njenga said that 57 rooms had been rented out in the building, and the Red Cross reported that 22 families lived there.

The building's owner was "not available" said Njenga and did not live in the building.

DW correspondent in Nairobi, Edith Kimani, said the collapse took place in the early morning when people were sleeping.

"We do not have a figure yet," Peter Abwao, Kenya Red Cross communications manager, told dpa news agency, on how many people could be trapped in the collapsed building.

St. John Ambulance Kenya, which is also part of the rescue effort, tweeted "at least five people including a child evacuated to hospital. Rescue operations ongoing."

'A desperate situation'

Kimani called the collapse a "desperate situation," adding that recent heavy rain had made the rescue effort more difficult because it had stretched resources and made the site less accessible.

Kimani also said that many people from the area had headed to the site to try and "catch a glimpse of what is happening" and this was also obstructing the rescue effort.

It was not immediately clear what caused the accident, but building collapses are common in Nairobi, where housing is in high demand and regulations are not enforced.

A recent survey conducted by Kenya's National Construction Authority found that 58% of the city's buildings were unfit for habitation.

jsi, kmm/aw (dpa/AP)

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