Seven Missing as Building Under Construction Collapses in Nairobi, Search Continues in the Rubble

Seven people are feared trapped under the rubble after a multi-storey building collapsed in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. A search and rescue operation is under way to find them.

Footage of the incident shows the bottom floor of the block, thought to have been 16 or 18 storeys, giving way before the rest of the building crumpled, sending a plume of dust into the surrounding streets.

Dozens of builders had been working on the upper floors when it collapsed, but they managed to emerge largely unscathed. Those missing were thought to have been in shops that had opened at the base of the building.

The block was under construction when it collapsed on Friday afternoon, with scaffolding still wrapped around the outside of the building. Officials said 11 shops had already opened on the bottom floors.

Interior ministry official Kipchumba Murkomen said 66 of the 67 construction workers in the building at the time had been able to get out unharmed, while the other had suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

Images from the scene, in Nairobi's Eastleigh area, show the concrete floors of the building piled on top of one another, as rescue workers saw through metal to get to those believed to be stuck underneath.

Rescue efforts have been complicated by concerns that excavation using diggers could limit the supply of air to those trapped, prompting emergency responders to stop using them. As a result, the rescue work has to proceed with extra caution.

Questions have emerged about why the building suddenly collapsed and whether it met planning regulations. The incident has raised fresh concerns about construction standards and regulations in Kenya.

Kenya's National Construction Authority said in a statement that it had identified the company behind the development, as well as the architect and structural engineer, but it did not say whether the site had been inspected before Friday.

Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson told local media that the owners of the building did not have the required paperwork for the building to be occupied. He urged the national government to give local authorities greater powers to penalise developers who disregard approved building plans and safety standards.

Building collapses are not uncommon in Nairobi, with poor construction or improper planning often cited as contributing factors.

All attention is now on the rescue operation. Whether the seven people trapped under the rubble can be brought out alive is the biggest question of the moment; at the same time, those concerned are also searching for the answer to how such a large building came down.