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Huruma collapse building rescue efforts shift to Nairobi River

According to Designated Incident Commander Pius Masai, the Nairobi River rescue mission will continue because it is suspected that there are people who drowned while escaping from the building/MIKE KARIUKI

According to Designated Incident Commander Pius Masai, the Nairobi River rescue mission will continue because it is suspected that there are people who drowned while escaping from the building/MIKE KARIUKI

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 8 – Rescue efforts have now shifted from Huruma collapsed building site to Nairobi River and its environs.

This is after the search and rescue mission at the site was demobilized with the death toll rising to 49, those missing 28 while the number hospitalized victims has dropped to 11. The number of those rescued stand at 140.

According to Designated Incident Commander Pius Masai, the Nairobi River rescue mission will continue because it is suspected that there are people who drowned while escaping from the building.

“There is a theory that some of the people missing might have drowned in Nairobi River as they tried the escape. Hence, tracing continues in the river and its environs in search of bodies,” he said from the Huruma building collapse site.

Masai at the same time said that his unit was coordinating with Kenya Red Cross and the Police to make the names of those missing public.

He said that the revelation would help allow those with any knowledge of the missing people come forward with the information.

“The number of missing people is still very high. By making their names public, we will be able to establish whether they actually were in the building on that fateful night,” he said.

Moturi Asati from the National Building Inspectorate speaking from the site said that the collapse of the building is to be blamed on substandard nature of the construction.

He said that the apartment building, like so many other in Huruma, are substandard and hence not fit for occupancy.
“Word has it that there was a debate among tenants of the collapsed building regarding its safety. If action had been taken, the narrative would be different. I therefore urge Kenyans, if you have any doubts on the safety of the building where you live, please contact the police immediately,” Asati said.

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