At approximately 2 am on Friday morning, a sewer system collapsed in Shauri Moyo area of Nairobi.
Four people died in this incident. Three other persons were saved. Police and Kenya Red Cross responded to the incident immediately.
Police Spokesman Resila Onyango announced the occurrence of the incident. “They were excavating a sewer line when it collapsed. Four are dead, three rescued, she said.
The police then taped off the area as shocked residents gathered to witness the scene. They tried to hold back the crowd.
According to Legend Media, the collapse involved the laying of underground tunnels for water passage.
John Kariuki, a worker at the site, described the chaos. “I heard a loud blast. People were shouting for help. Soil was caving in,” he said. Kariuki witnessed the collapse and described the panic.
The road that connected Eastleigh and Shauri Moyo was being constructed at night to ensure no traffic flow was disrupted during the day.
Emergency rescue teams arrived promptly after the alarm. They were reporting seven people trapped in the rubble.
With joint work between the Nairobi City County Fire Brigade, NMS Ambulance, Kenya Red Cross, and police, three were salvaged from the rubble. These three were taken for treatment to Mama Lucy Hospital.
The rescue operation has been intense and urgent, round the clock. The area has remained cordoned off as search efforts continue. The community is still in shock and mourning over this collapse.
