This archive report was first published on 6 December 2019.
On December 6, 2019, a devastating six-storey building collapse occurred in Nairobi's Tassia estate, leaving a trail of destruction and loss of life.
According to police, at least four people were killed and 29 injured in the tragic incident. Rescue workers struggled to free a woman who was screaming from under the rubble, while scores of people waited anxiously to find news of their family and friends.
The Kenya Red Cross reported that 11 people had been rescued by late afternoon, about five hours after the collapse. However, it was unclear how many people had been inside the building at the time of the incident.
“Four people have died, and 29 others have been rushed to hospital. One was seriously injured,” said Reuben Ndolo, the Nairobi regional police commander.
The building collapse is the latest in a series of tragedies to hit Nairobi, with a similar incident occurring in 2016 when 49 people died in a building collapse during a heavy night-time downpour.
The city's Eastlands area, where the latest incident occurred, has been plagued by overcrowding and poor building conditions, with the then-governor of Nairobi, Evans Kidero, warning in 2017 that there were 30,000 to 40,000 buildings at risk in the city due to lack of approval.
