Nairobi, Tuesday 20 October 2009: At least 35 people have been feared trapped inside after a building collapsed at lunch hour on Monday in Kiambu town, Kenya, local media reported on Tuesday.

The reports quoted local people as saying that the five-storey building was still under construction when the accident took place. Two people were killed in the event while more than 10 others were injured. Some of the wounded have been admitted at the Kiambu District Hospital, with multiple fractures.

The General Service Unit, the Nairobi Fire Brigade and volunteers from the Red Cross mounted a massive rescue operation on Monday night. The rescue efforts have been slowed down by heavy downpour, the newspaper reported.

It added that a command post had been established at the site to coordinate the efforts, but the police met with traffic jam when they diverted vehicles from the main road from Nairobi to Kiambu and rushed to the scene. The media reports said three bulldozers have been mobilized to help the rescue efforts and remove the debris.

The event came after another building also under construction collapsed last week in Huruma estate in Nairobi, leaving one person dead.
(Agency)