Four trapped after building collapses in Kenyan capital

A multi-storey building under construction in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, collapsed on Friday, leaving at least four people trapped.

Rescue workers are digging through the rubble. The building was in an area of Nairobi known as South C, according to the Kenya Red Cross, which said a multi-agency response team was at the scene “managing the situation”.

Geoffrey Ruku, the cabinet secretary in charge of public services, told reporters that four people were believed to be trapped.

Safia Ali Aden, the sister of one of them, told reporters at the scene that her brother made a phone call “while under there”.

“We are asking the government to be speedy in the rescue so we can find my brother alive,” she said.

Building collapses are common in Nairobi, where housing is in high demand and unscrupulous developers often bypass regulations or violate building codes.

After eight buildings collapsed and killed 15 people in Kenya in 2015, the presidency ordered an audit of buildings across the country to see if they were up to standard. The National Construction Authority found that 58% of the buildings in Nairobi were unfit for habitation.