A second person was rescued from the collapsed building under construction in Eastleigh, Nairobi, and rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital for treatment as search and rescue operations entered their second day on Saturday.
The first victim had been rescued earlier on before a second one, a woman was removed from the debris 24 hours after the incident.
Police and the Kenya Red Cross confirmed the rescue, with emergency response teams continuing to comb through the rubble in search of people feared trapped following Friday’s collapse along 9th Street.
The victims were rushed to the hospital as onlookers cheered the rescue teams.
Nairobi police boss Issa Mohamud said the two victims were in stable condition in hospital.
Government officials said at least seven people had been reported missing after the multi-storey building came crashing down on Friday afternoon.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, however, said all 67 construction workers who were at the site when the building collapsed had been accounted for.
Of the workers, 66 escaped uninjured, while one sustained injuries and was receiving treatment in hospital. His condition was reported to be stable.
Murkomen, who visited the scene on Friday evening alongside Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku, said rescue operations were ongoing, with emergency teams working to locate and save anyone who might have been trapped beneath the debris.
“Seven people have been reported missing. The rescue team has made contact with some of them, and efforts are underway to rescue those trapped in the rubble,” he said.
The CS added that 11 shops on the building’s ground floor and basement were occupied at the time of the collapse, raising concerns that traders, customers and other occupants could have been caught in the disaster.
A multi-agency team comprising the Kenya Defence Forces, National Police Service, Nairobi City County Government, National Youth Service, Kenya Red Cross and other government agencies was coordinating the search and rescue operation.
The government urged families whose relatives were missing to contact the Kenya Red Cross through its emergency response number, 1199, to help establish their whereabouts and support coordination efforts.
Murkomen said the government was providing rescue teams with the necessary support to accelerate the operation. Arrangements were also being made to assist affected individuals and families, including through psychosocial support.
He assured the public that the circumstances surrounding the collapse would be thoroughly investigated by relevant national and county government agencies in collaboration with professional bodies.
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