Kenya building collapse
A building under construction in Nairobi, Kenya, collapsed this January, overwhelming local rescue resources. RAPID UK’s John Holland reports on the search and rescue teams’ prompt and pro-active response to the incident and round-the-clock efforts to find survivors.
On Monday, January 23, at approximately 12:00hrs local time, a building under construction in the centre of Nairobi collapsed, killing and trapping hundreds of workers. Five floors above ground and a two stage basement below ground had totally caved in
RAPID-UK’s Operational Director received a call within an hour of the incident and started the information gathering process. It was known at this stage that Kenya did not have a specialised response to this type of incident. Once it became clear that the death toll was climbing and that local resources were struggling to deal with the situation, an offer of assistance was made to the Kenyan government and the British High Commission.
Photo courtesy the author
The full text appears in Volume 2 Issue 3 of the Crisis Response Journal.
Click here for further details