Officials said rescue teams had contacted some people beneath the debris as investigators prepared to examine the cause of the collapse.
NAIROBI, KENYA — Rescue teams searched through the night for seven people reported missing after a multi-story building under construction collapsed Friday in Nairobi’s densely populated Eastleigh neighborhood, leaving a large pile of concrete and prompting a major emergency response.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said late Friday that all 67 construction workers who had been at the site were accounted for. Sixty-six escaped without injury and one was hurt and taken to a hospital. The seven people still reported missing were believed to have been connected to businesses operating on the lower levels of the unfinished building. Officials said rescuers had established contact with some people trapped beneath the rubble.
The building collapsed at about 1 p.m. Oct. 23 along a busy commercial street in Eastleigh, an area filled with shops, traders and residents. The structure was still under construction, but businesses were operating in its basement and ground-floor spaces. Murkomen said 11 shops on those levels had been occupied when the building came down.
The Kenya Red Cross said two injured people were taken to Kenyatta National Hospital and that 26 people who had initially been reported missing were later traced and accounted for. A tracing desk was established near the collapse site to help families seeking information about relatives. Emergency crews from the national government, Nairobi County, the Kenya Defence Forces, police, the National Youth Service and the Red Cross joined the operation.
Rescue work was difficult because the collapsed structure was wedged between other buildings and the concrete floors had fallen on top of one another. Nairobi police chief Issa Mohamud warned that part of the wreckage was leaning against a neighboring structure, creating concern about another collapse. Excavators, other heavy equipment and sniffer dogs were brought in as crews worked to open access through the debris.
Associated Press reporters at the scene said heavy equipment was limited during the early hours of the response. Rescuers initially worked around the rubble with basic tools before additional machinery arrived. One injured woman was pulled from the debris and hospitalized. Relatives also reported receiving calls from people believed trapped soon after the collapse, although some later could no longer be reached by phone.
Police also worked to control large crowds that gathered near the site. Officers used tear gas after reports of looting at neighboring businesses and sought to clear routes for emergency vehicles and rescue crews. Authorities urged people to stay away from the collapse zone so responders could work without interference.
Questions about how the unfinished building was being used emerged almost immediately. Nairobi Gov. Johnson Sakaja said businesses should not have been operating in the structure before the required occupation authorization was issued. Reports differed on the precise number of floors in the project, and authorities had not established the cause of the collapse as rescue operations continued.
Murkomen said a multi-agency investigation would involve police investigators, Nairobi County inspectors, the National Construction Authority, housing officials and technical professionals. Authorities said the inquiry would examine the circumstances surrounding the collapse and whether construction or safety requirements were violated. Police said responsibility would be determined after investigators completed their work.
Search and rescue remained the immediate priority early Saturday, with officials expressing hope that those still beneath the rubble could be reached alive. No confirmed death toll had been announced in the latest verified updates, and authorities said the cause of the collapse remained under investigation.
Author note: Last updated October 24, 2026.