Several Feared Dead As Building Collapses In Mathare

Several people are feared dead after a building undergoing demolition collapsed in Mathare North Area 2. 

In a statement on Tuesday, May 14, the Kenya Red Cross noted that multiple people were inside the building when it collapsed.

Kenya Red Cross noted that a rescue team has been dispatched to help the victims who are believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.

“A building undergoing demolition has collapsed in the Mathare North area 2. There are fears that multiple individuals may be trapped beneath the rubble. Our rescue team has been dispatched,” the organization stated.

According to reports, over ten individuals were scavenging for scrap metals in the building when it collapsed. 

Four casualties have so far been rescued and taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention. 

Kenya Red Cross noted that three individuals have critical injuries, while one person has sustained minor injuries.

The building had been partly demolished on Monday but the process was halted when its structure weakened and fell down.

This comes barely a week after two people died and several were injured after an abandoned building in Kanduyi market, Bungoma County collapsed trapping them inside.

The building was initially demolished halfway by the Bungoma county administration to allow the renovation of the Masinde Muliro Stadium ahead of this year’s Madaraka Day celebrations.

The halfway demolition left the incomplete-storey building unstable and posing a danger to the members of the public.

On May 1 another storey building collapsed in the Uthiru area within Nairobi County. The response team drawn from the Nairobi County Government and the Kenya Red Cross managed to evacuate all 34 residents who were occupying the building.