15 people rescued from collapsed Kisumu shopping mall

Rescuers attempt to remove debris from a building that collapsed Wednesday evening in Kisumu's Manyatta estate. At least 30 workers were feared trapped while five others were taken to hospital with serious injuries. PHOTO | SILAS APOLLO | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• “The house was almost complete and we were on the last floor. I was downstairs when I saw a column fall. I then shouted and before I could run away, the whole building fell trapping my colleagues,” he said.
• According to Mr Omollo, the owner of the building had disappeared and could not be traced as late as 10pm.
• Ms Auma said they were concerned the building collapsed as a result of poor supervision by the county government leading to erection of sub-standard building.
• The workers are said to have been having their lunch at the time the building collapsed.

By MOSES ODHIAMBO
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At least 15 have been rescued after a shopping mall under construction collapsed Wednesday evening in Kisumu.

The Wednesday evening incident in which 30 construction workers were trapped in the rubble of the collapsed shopping mall under construction comes at a time when similar tragedies have rocked the construction industry.

Eight people, among them a school pupil, were rushed to hospital in critical condition. The building collapsed at around 4pm.

As at 10pm, fifteen people had been rescued, according to the police.

Gunshots rent the air as the police dispersed the crowd at scene, as it was slowing down recovery operations. The ensuing stampede left a child critically injured.

Three bulldozers were on the site ploughing through the rubble to recover bodies believed to have still been trapped.

Police working together with locals, Red Cross volunteers and National Youth Servicemen led the recovery operations.

Area OCPD Musa Kongoli however said it was not clear how many people remained trapped in the building as that would only be ascertained once the recovery is complete.

HAVING LUNCH

The workers are said to have been having their lunch at the time the building collapsed.

Mr Raphael Otieno Omollo, a survivor said he shouted when one column of the house fell down at about 4pm. In the confusion, some of his colleagues escaped. Those who did not hear his alarm are the ones who were trapped in the rubble.
“The house was almost complete and we were on the last floor. I was downstairs when I saw a column fall. I then shouted and before I could run away, the whole building fell trapping my colleagues,” he said.

According to Mr Omollo, the owner of the building had disappeared and could not be traced as late as 10pm.

Ms Leah Auma, an eye witness, said women who were supplying water to the site could also have been trapped inside the building.

Leaders from the county among them governor Jack Ranguma and his deputy Ruth Odinga visited the scene.

There was a problem of lighting initially as a black out hampered the operations before the firefighters brought generator powered floodlights.