KISUMU: Over thirty people are feared trapped in the ravels of a three-storey building which collapsed in Kisumu’s Manyatta Estate while under construction.
By the time of going to press, Kenya Red Cross had confirmed rescuing eight people from the building believed to have been a supermarket, and located near Manyatta Peace Market.
According to the survivors, the 3pm incident occurred when the construction workers were winding up the second floor slab.
Peter Odhiambo, one of the construction workers who survived the incident said there were both men and women within the ground floor at the time.
“Some women were serving food to the construction workers and most people were on the ground floor. I was on the second floor and helplessly watched the house smash at once. I however feel little pain on my knee,” said Odhiambo.
There were delayed rescue services as it took the county government three hours to avail the bulldozers for the rescue mission. They had to hire the services of road contractors within the area which provided two bulldozers.
At one point the rescue operation was halted as National Youth Service (NYS) officers engaged the onlookers in a short battle as the officers dispersed them from the scene.
It took the intervention of local leaders to quell the public who were baying for the blood of the officers during the scuffle and the rescue operation is still ongoing.
