The Kenya Red Cross said 14 people were still missing after the collapse of a three-story building on the outskirts of Nairobi. Specialists said irresponsible contractors were at fault.
(Riccardo Gangale/ Associated Press)
6 die in building collapse in Kenya
The Kenya Red Cross said 14 people were still missing after the collapse of a three-story building on the outskirts of Nairobi. Specialists said irresponsible contractors were at fault.
(Riccardo Gangale/ Associated Press)
NAIROBI - Six people died and 14 were still missing after a three-story building collapsed on the outskirts of Kenya’s capital, a police official said yesterday, as specialists warned that irresponsible contractors were to blame.
Police officer Samuel Mukindia said two people died while receiving treatment at a Nairobi hospital. The bodies of three men were pulled from the rubble at the building site in Kiambu. Another victim, a woman, was crushed to death. Police said 13 people were injured.
The Kenya Red Cross said 14 people were still unaccounted for after being reported missing by their relatives and friends.
Monday’s disaster came barely a week after the Kenya Architectural Association said in a report that 65 percent of structures in the country were substandard.
Richard Chepkwony, a member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya, said the organization was receiving almost daily reports of buildings collapsing because of poor construction. He said the building collapsed on Monday because of its substandard construction material and poor workmanship.
“If you grab a block of concrete, you can crack it using your hands,’’ he said, crushing lumps of concrete between his fingers. “This is not the end of the story. We will be seeing more of this if the government does not enact laws to ensure required construction standards are met.’’
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
