Two people have been confirmed dead after a building collapsed at Nairobi’s Gikomba Market.
According to reports, the incident took place on the evening of Thursday, June 25, with several others trapped beneath the rubble.
The collapse involved the Block B section of the market, which had sustained extensive structural damage during a recent fire that tore through sections of Gikomba last Sun day morning.
The Kenya Red Cross confirmed confirmed the incident and said that it had deployed first responders to support the rescue mission alongside the Nairobi City County Fire Brigade and other emergency agencies.
“The Kenya Red Cross is supporting response efforts following a building collapse at Gikomba Market in Nairobi. Search and rescue operations are ongoing alongside the Nairobi City County Fire Brigade,” Kenya Red Cross said.
Additionally, rescue operations continued for several hours before the Kenya Red Cross announced that the overnight search-and-retrieval exercise had concluded.
“The overnight search and retrieval operation at Gikomba Market has been successfully concluded through the joint efforts of the Nairobi City County Fire Brigade, Kenya Red Cross first responders and the National Police Service,” the agency added in an update.
The Humanitarian group further said that it remained ready to provide psychosocial support to families affected by the tragedy through the appropriate channels.
According to reports by close witnesses, the building caved in while a group of young men were inside collecting scrap metal and dismantling parts of the weakened structure.
