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Death toll from Kenya’s rock collapse rises to 7

04 April 2012 19:09 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Death toll from big rocks collapse in a Nairobi slum has risen to seven after three more bodies were retrieved from the rubble, Kenya’s humanitarian agency confirmed on WednesdayÃ§ APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) spokesperson Nelly Muluka said some people are still trapped beneath the big rocks which had rolled on some 40 houses after heavy rains in the sprawling slum.

Muluka said rescue operations are still ongoing at the site of the Mathare 4A landslide where several people have been rescued and rushed to hospital.

"The main challenge at the moment is accessibility as the appropriate machinery for rescue cannot access the scene of the tragedy. At the moment rescuers are using hoes and axes in the rescue efforts," she said.

There is fear that more people may still be trapped in the more than 40 houses that have been affected.

However, the humanitarian organization said the rescue efforts have been hampered by heavy rains, lack of access and appropriate machinery and crowds of people who are slowing down the whole process.

Currently, the Nairobi City Council is leading the rescue teams that include the KRCS, Fire Brigade, Kenya Police, National Youth Service, among others in creating an access road in order for the team to be able to reach the other houses.

Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere had earlier visited the scene and said nine people were had been rushed to the hospital and are receiving treatment.

Experts say chances of such incidences in Nairobi’s slums and informal settlements is high because of the poor quality of construction of homes and the materials used, the overcrowded conditions, and haphazard electricity connections.