Rescue workers recovered a woman’s body from the collapsed building in Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighbourhood on Friday, October 30, as authorities reported that 16 people remained unaccounted for.
The recovery was the first confirmed death reported from the site following the October 23 collapse. Emergency teams continued searching the debris, with families waiting for information about missing relatives.
Officials said the woman’s remains had been taken to Nairobi City Mortuary, where DNA testing would help establish her identity. The Standard
Search continues in lower sections of the building
The multi-storey structure was still under construction when it collapsed along Eastleigh’s 9th Street.
Rescuers have been working to reach the lower levels, including the basement, where some missing people are believed to have been trapped.
National Disaster Management Unit director Duncan Ochieng said confined working space and the condition of the debris had complicated the operation. Teams were proceeding cautiously to protect responders while searching for possible survivors.
Authorities said the search would continue until the remaining debris had been examined. Daily Nation
Sixteen people remain unaccounted for
Officials said the missing-person count followed a verification exercise involving the Kenya Red Cross and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
Investigators have been using information from families and mobile phone records to help establish who may have been at the building before it collapsed.
The missing-person figure is separate from the confirmed death toll. Authorities have not established the fate of everyone still being sought.
Reports differ on the number rescued: the Associated Press account supplied for this article reported four survivors, while subsequent Kenyan reports put the figure at six. The accounts also differ on the building’s height.
Equipment detects possible signs of life
Specialised search equipment brought to the site earlier in the week raised hopes after officials reported detecting possible signs of life beneath the rubble.
Teams have been attempting to reach the locations associated with those signals. A possible detection, however, is not confirmation that a person has been located or successfully rescued.
Families have continued waiting near the site as the operation moves into its second week. citizen.digital
Sakaja raises concerns over approvals and occupation
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said the building lacked the required construction approvals.
He also questioned the occupation of commercial premises on the ground and basement floors before the structure had been inspected and issued with an occupancy certificate.
Those statements have intensified scrutiny of the project’s approval and supervision. They do not, by themselves, establish the structural cause of the collapse or determine individual criminal responsibility.
Investigators examine possible failures in oversight
The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed the DCI to investigate possible negligence, omissions or misconduct involving public officials, developers and construction professionals connected to the project.
The inquiry is expected to examine approvals, inspections, supervision and compliance with construction requirements. Detectives have reportedly questioned a developer and officials from relevant oversight bodies.
Any decision to prosecute will depend on the evidence gathered and its review by the prosecution authority. the-star.co.ke
Authorities have urged the public to keep away from the collapse site, which remains both an active search area and a crime scene. For the families of those missing, the immediate priority remains establishing what happened to their relatives.
