KISUMU, Kenya Sep 13 – A house under construction collapsed in Kisumu on Monday, trapping three workers, witnesses said.
Police said bodies of three people were pulled out of the rubble late Monday and the search and rescue efforts was called off after it became apparent that only the three were in the three storey building at the time of the tragedy. Six others escaped with injuries.
Two of them were women said to have taken food to workers in the building in Mamboleo area while the third was for a construction worker.
The 3-storey building is reported to have gone down at about 1pm when workers were on lunch break, a witness who also served some of the workers lunch said.
She reported having seen three people when she left the building that went down shortly afterwards.
Other workers had left the building to have lunch outside.
Kajulu ward MCA Roy Samo who was among the first responders had earlier said they were yet to establish the exact number of people who were in the building at the dark hour but it was later confirmed that only three were trapped.
Nancy Akinyi who lives next to the collapsed building said she heard a loud bang before dust billowed from the site.
“I first heard a loud sound then saw dust all over and upon checking I saw the building down,” she said.
Kenya Red Cross and fire fighters personnel from Kisumu County Government were on site coordinating the rescue operation.
The MCA called for more support to quickly reach the ground floor where those trapped might have been when the building crumbled.
“We want excavators to come help us dig this heap of debris,” he said when the rescue and search efforts began.
Samo said responsible government offices must ensure all buildings are subjected to serious monitoring to ensure contractors adhere to the construction standards to avoid tragedies.
“Due diligence must be taken for all buildings that are coming up. For such buildings, there must be proper approvals and materials to be used,” he said.
He says the trend is worrying since only three months ago a similar building in the area leaving several people injured.
