Six dead, five rescued as building collapses along Mombasa Road

At least six people were killed and five others rescued alive on Friday when an eight-storey building under construction collapsed along Mombasa Road in Nairobi.

The building, near the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) terminus, caved in at about 9.52am while construction workers were on site, with the top slab giving way, according to preliminary reports from Nairobi City County emergency teams.

Nairobi County Chief Officer for Disaster Management Bramwell Simiyu confirmed the six deaths as rescuers continued to search the rubble for possible survivors.

"Three bodies were retrieved during the initial morning operations, while three more were recovered later from the debris. All six victims were middle-aged men," he said.

The five survivors have been pulled out alive and are receiving emergency medical attention. It is not yet clear how many workers were at the site when the building collapsed.

The county fire team and the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team were deployed to the scene and continue to comb through the debris for anyone who may still be trapped.

Authorities have urged motorists and other members of the public using Mombasa Road near the SGR terminus to keep away from the area to allow emergency teams to carry out rescue operations.

The collapse again raises concerns about building safety and compliance with construction regulations in Nairobi, where structural failures have repeatedly raised questions about the enforcement and supervision of construction projects.