One dead as 22-storey building partially collapses in Westlands

A 22-storey building under construction in Westlands, Nairobi, partially collapsed on Wednesday night, trapping several workers beneath the debris.

Emergency responders, including the Kenya Red Cross, rushed to the scene and launched rescue operations, managing to pull out some workers while others remained trapped as efforts continued.

The incident occurred along School Lane at about 8pm, when the upper section of the high-rise gave way, trapping four workers at the site.

Nairobi Police Commander Issa Mohamud said two of the workers narrowly escaped, while one was pulled out with injuries. Another later died from injuries sustained in the collapse.

“Investigations are ongoing to establish the cause of the collapse. We have accounted for all workers at the scene,” he said, adding that authorities were also trying to determine why construction was ongoing at night.