MURANGA, Kenya, Feb 1 – Rescuers have pulled out one body from the debris of a collapsed quarry in Mukangwe village, Muranga which caved in on Monday morning and trapping at least four people.

Kenya Red Cross Communications Officer Titus Mung’ou told Capital News that another person was rescued alive from the quarry.
 “Four people are still buried in the quarry, by a huge boulder. Efforts are underway to rescue the people, who were among those working at a quarry,” Mr Mung’ou.

“The teams on the ground have already confirmed removal of a body and then fears of others still buried,” he said of the incident which happened at 11am.

Provincial Administration personnel and Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) Emergency Response personnel from Murang'a, Thika and Nairobi are currently working together with various teams in rescue and recovery efforts at a quarrying site. Mr Mung’ou described the rescue efforts as “frantic” saying it was not possible to determine the how many people were at the scene during the incident.

The steep nature of the area has made it prone to mud and landslides especially during the rainy seasons.

In December last year, a landslide claimed the life of one person and destroyed livestock and crops following heavy rains.

Mr Mung’ou said the residents could still be in danger or more slides.

“We know there have been heavy rains, the terrain itself is steep and with heavy rains the area continuous to be dangerous to the residents,” he said adding that Mukangwe, Muranga, Kangema have all reported landslides in the recent past.