Survivors found after 6 days in collapsed Kenya building

Rescuers freed four survivors from the collapsed building in Nairobi yesterday. The apartment building broke down about a week ago during heavy rainfall in the capital.

A pregnant woman, Elizabeth Night Odhiambo (24), was rescued first. Yet the baby did not make it, according to Odhiambo’s husband. Additionally, one of the other three found alive later died on the way to the hospital.

Soldiers, firefighters and volunteers have been searching relentlessly for any survivors since the seven-story building collapsed on Friday 29 April. Their spirits were lifted Tuesday when a 6-month-old girl was found in a wash basin without any severe injuries.

On Thursday, four more survivors were found, adding to the total of 137.

Odhiambo, who was eight months pregnant, was taken to Kenyatta National Hospital speedily. There she underwent an emergency cesarean section, but doctors told Onyango the baby had not survived. Stephen Onyango was ecstatic to have his wife returned to him, at least: “I cannot say the happiness I have,” the truck driver said. “I have never had such happiness like this in my life.”

Pius Masai, the head of the Disaster Management Unit, reported on the other three survivors. He says one died, because the ambulance did not have advanced life-saving equipment. The condition of the other two was not immediately known.

The disaster has taken 37 lives. Some 134 people were injured. About 70 people remain missing, said Kenya Red Cross head Abbas Gullets.

Red Cross rescuers at the collapsed building in Nairobi, Kenya. Source: AFP Photo/Simon Maina

The collapse drew attention to Nairobi’s doubtful building practices.

The building was constructed less than 5 meters (15 feet) from a river, when it should have been at least 30 meters away, said local lawmaker Steven Kariuki.

Furthermore, a neighbour said the building had been constructed rapidly and poorly, and its more than 125 single rooms were snapped up quickly at a rent of $35 per month.

The National Construction Authority said it had declared the building as unfit for habitation, in fact. The Interior Ministry added that it was earmarked for demolition. The county government failed to follow up.

The city is struggling to keep up with demands for housing. Some unscrupulous developers are taking advantage of the haste to save money and maximize profits by bypassing regulations, Reuters reports.