Six people have died and five others rescued alive after an eight-storey building under construction collapsed along Mombasa Road, near the SGR Terminus in Nairobi, on Friday morning.
According to a situation report issued by the Nairobi City County emergency response team, the incident occurred at approximately 9:52 a.m., with preliminary reports indicating that the top slab of the building caved in while construction workers were on site.
The Kenya Red Cross Society initially confirmed through its social media platforms that three people had been rescued and taken to hospital following the collapse.
However, a subsequent situation report from the Nairobi City County emergency response team indicated that the number of survivors had risen to five, with six fatalities recorded.
Three bodies were retrieved during the initial morning rescue operations, with three others recovered in subsequent operations.
The exact number of workers who were at the construction site when the building collapsed remains unknown, as authorities continue efforts to establish how many people may still be trapped beneath the rubble.
The Nairobi City County Fire Team and the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team are currently leading the search and rescue operations.
Authorities have urged members of the public and motorists using Mombasa Road, particularly near the SGR Terminus, to keep away from the immediate incident area to allow emergency teams to carry out their operations.
The incident comes weeks after an 18-storey building collapsed along 9th Street in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area on October 23, killing eight people and leaving four others rescued alive.
The building also collapsed while under construction, with its lower floors occupied by residents and business vendors, raising renewed concerns over construction safety in Nairobi, particularly in buildings where construction activities continue alongside human and commercial occupancy.
Search and rescue operations at the collapsed building along Mombasa Road site remain ongoing.
