Multi-storey building collapse for Kenya, rescue operation begin

One multi-storey building wey still dey under construction, collapse dis Friday afternoon for 9th Street for Eastleigh area of Nairobi.

Rescue operation don start work immediately afta di building wey get more dan ten floors collapse.

Reports dey show several pipo fit dey trapped inside di rubble.

Afta di incident, anti-riot police use tear gas to forcefully scatta di residents wey try block di road wey lead to di scene.

Videos wey dey circulate on social media show di moment di building collapse. Some shops dey operate for di ground floor .

"Na terrible incident, and everybody for di scene dey shock," e tok.

Omar Ahmed, di coordinator of di Eastleigh traders' committee, wey dey for di scene, tell BBC say di building wey collapse get around twelve floors and dem suppose open am officially soon.

E add say di shops for di ground floor dey open, and pipo dey inside wen di building collapse.

"We fit hear one mother screaming and e dey recite di Islamic declaration of faith. One boy dey shout, say, 'My brother dey inside,'" Omar tok.

E also tok say pipo dey plan to move into di building, dem bin dey look different sections, and dem dey among di pipo wey dey present wen di collapse happun.

Di full extent of di damage and any casualty still dey unknown, but emergency and rescue personnel dey for di scene.

Authorities mobilise equipment for rescue operations
Nairobi Govnor Johnson ‌Sakaja tok say rescue operation don start and dem dey try pass oxygen underground to rescue survivors.

Di govnor tok say na 16-storey building collapse on Friday and dem dey try rescue lives.

"Na around 16-storey building but wetin concern us right now na to save lives, so we dey clear di debris. We don bring equipment: excavators and breakers, so we go fit remove di rubble. Dis one na multi-agency work KDF, NDOC, di county govment and Red Cross dey here," e tok.

"Health staff dey on standby becos we dey move into rescue operation afta we finish clearance. Na why we dey ask for small space make pipo wey dey work fit do dia work. We dey hope say we go fit clear am in di quickest time possible. We dey communicate from inside, we don dey tok of course we dey open space make oxygen dey inside, then we go fit get di estimate of wetin we need to do."

Sakaja tok say di national govment need to give prosecuting power back to di govnors so dem go fit regulate di buildings wey contractors dey build for city becos many times dem go collect engineers for di site come sack dem to employ quacks.

Di govnor tok say dem no give di owner approval to allow anyone occupy di uncompleted building bifor dem go finish di construction.

"Di only ting wey I go add be say, I go repeat wetin I tok weeks ago, those prosecutorial powers wey dem bin give to counties need to come back becos of enforcement."

"Dis don cost lives, you know. We dey pray say make nobody die. We dey focus on rescue now. I go give more updates as time dey pass. I don see di documents, and I go give proper statement about di building status. Of course, e get approval."

"E get approval, no doubt about dat. But we need to question why dem dey allow temporary occupation before anybody get occupation certificate, even for temporary dis one no dey allowed."

Nairobi Disaster chief officer Bramwell Simiyu tell di BBC say officials no know how many fit be inside di 13-storey building wey collapse dis afternoon for di city.

"Dem tell us say some illegal occupations dey for di lower floors of di building. Dat some pipo dey operate from dia".

Bramwell say di county don launched search and rescue operation and dey "try to mobilize equipment" at di scene in Eastleigh, Nairobi.