One body recovered from Nairobi collapse site as 16 remain missing
Thermal imaging from a Chinese team detected two individuals in the rubble of an unauthorized 18-story structure.
By Dominic Foster ·
A week after an 18-story building in Nairobi's Eastleigh district collapsed, search teams recovered the first body on Friday. The victim was a woman whose remains were found crushed beneath heavy concrete and steel beams.
Sixteen people remain unaccounted for following the structural failure. The building, which was under construction, gave way last Friday in the busy commercial zone. Families of the missing have camped at the site for seven days, waiting for news.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja stated that the structure lacked the required construction approvals. He noted that renting out shops on the ground and basement floors violated regulations. Rules require an occupation certificate after inspection before any building can be occupied.
Authorities deployed thermal imaging equipment provided by a team from China earlier this week. Officials reported that the sensors detected two human beings beneath the debris. No other survivors have been pulled from the rubble since Saturday.
Four people were rescued in the early stages of the search. They described being trapped under the collapsed structure. As the critical 72-hour survival window passed, some family members expressed doubt that loved ones could last more than three days under the weight of the ruins.
