Seven feared trapped as multi-storey building collapses in Nairobi, Kenya

​A search and rescue operation is currently underway in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, after a multi-storey building collapsed on Friday afternoon in the Eastleigh neighborhood, leaving at least seven people missing under the rubble, according to a report by the BBC.

​Dramatic video footage recorded the bottom floor of the block—estimated at 16 to 18 storeys—giving way before the entire structure crumbled into a heap of concrete and scaffolding. Interior Ministry official Kipchumba Murkomen stated that 66 of the 67 construction workers on site managed to escape largely unharmed, with one worker suffering non-life-threatening injuries. However, the seven missing individuals are feared to have been inside 11 retail shops that had already begun operating on the building’s lower levels.

​Emergency responders faced delicate rescue conditions, pausing the use of heavy excavators over concerns that heavy machinery could exhaust oxygen supplies for potential survivors trapped in pockets beneath the debris.

​The disaster has reignited intense scrutiny over regulatory enforcement and building safety standards in Kenya. Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson informed local media that while construction permits existed, the owners lacked the requisite occupancy certificates, making the opening of commercial shops illegal. The National Construction Authority confirmed it has identified the developer, architect, and structural engineer involved as multi-agency investigations commence.