May 03, 2016•Update: May 18, 2016
By Andrew Ross
NAIROBI, Kenya
Celebrations were exceptionally in order early Tuesday morning at the site of a building collapse in the Kenyan capital Nairobi after a toddler was rescued from the rubble four days after the incident.
Heavy rains caused a six-story, 198-room, residential building to collapse Friday evening, resulting in the deaths of at least 23 people, according to the latest numbers put forth by rescue teams. More than 60 have also been reported missing.
“This is a miracle, the toddler was found alive four days after the building collapsed, rescue efforts are still ongoing,” Nairobi police chief Japheth Koome told Anadolu Agency.
The Red Cross said the 18-month-old girl was rescued at around 4 a.m. (0100GMT).
“As search and rescue operations continue at the collapsed building in Huruma [northeast of Nairobi], a female child, was rescued alive from the debris at 04:00 hours on Tuesday, 3 May 2016,” said a statement from the Red Cross.
The Red Cross added that the child, who had been buried for about 80 hours, was found in a bucket wrapped in a blanket.
“She appeared dehydrated, and with no visible physical injuries. She was taken to the Kenyatta National Hospital by the Kenya Red Cross rescue vehicle, and is currently undergoing treatment.”
Search teams have indicated that 136 people had been rescued so far.
The Kenyan government has put the blame for the collapse on developers for building on a coastal river area and ignoring the country’s safety standards.
The building had been marked for demolition in 2014 but the order was never carried out.
Since Friday, heavy rains had been wreaking havoc in Kenya.
