{"id":128091,"date":"2026-01-07T14:03:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T14:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/second-body-retrieved-form-collapsed-south-c-building-as-search-nears-end\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T14:03:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T14:03:03","slug":"second-body-retrieved-form-collapsed-south-c-building-as-search-nears-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/second-body-retrieved-form-collapsed-south-c-building-as-search-nears-end\/","title":{"rendered":"Second body retrieved form collapsed South C building as search nears end"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 4 \u2014 A second body has been retrieved from the rubble of the collapsed South C building as search and rescue operations entered the sixth day on Wednesday, even as emergency teams continued combing through the debris for any other possible victims.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku was on his way to the site for a briefing, officials said, as the scale of the tragedy continues to unfold.<\/p>\n

Incident Commander and Director of the National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) Duncan Onyango Ochieng had reported significant progress on the operation even as he said it remained delicate and high-risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wish to inform the public that considerable progress has been made, and we commend the multi-agency Urban Search and Rescue teams who continue to work around the clock with unwavering dedication and professionalism,\u201d Ochieng said.<\/p>\n

He extended condolences to the affected families and directly addressed relatives of the victims, acknowledging the anxiety and emotional distress they continue to endure.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease be assured that the Incident Management Team is doing everything within its capacity, applying specialised skills, equipment and proven rescue techniques to locate and retrieve the suspected victims,\u201d he said, adding that this commitment remains the guiding principle of all operational decisions.<\/p>\n

Ochieng reiterated that the objectives of the operation remain unchanged: ensuring the safety of responders and the public, searching for and rescuing or recovering victims, and clearing debris to allow for the gradual restoration of normalcy once conditions permit.<\/p>\n

Heightened danger<\/h3>\n

However, he cautioned that the site remains extremely hazardous.<\/p>\n

A disaster risk assessment conducted on Sunday morning identified heightened dangers arising from the continuous movement of heavy machinery, increased debris along access routes, and exposed metallic materials within the active rescue zone.<\/p>\n

As a result, members of the public and all responders without appropriate personal protective equipment\u2014including helmets, eye and ear protection\u2014were urged to stay away from the active operation areas.<\/p>\n

The site has been clearly demarcated, and authorities appealed for strict adherence to safety boundaries to prevent secondary injuries and avoid disrupting rescue efforts.<\/p>\n

The latest recovery comes days after the recovery of the first body on Sunday. CS Ruto had prior to the recovery said rescue teams believed two people were feared trapped in the collapsed structure may still have been alive, a belief that informed the intensity of the operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reports we have indicate that two persons may have been trapped inside the collapsed structure. There is reason to believe they could still be alive, and this belief continues to strongly inform and motivate the ongoing intensive rescue efforts,\u201d Ruku said on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Pancake-type collapse<\/h3>\n

The 14-storey building, which included a basement parking area, collapsed at around 4.05am on Friday near South C Shopping Centre and Nairobi South Hospital.<\/p>\n

The government has described the incident as a pancake-type collapse, although the exact cause has yet to be established.<\/p>\n

A multi-agency emergency response was activated immediately, led by the NDMU under the Incident Command System.<\/p>\n

Specialised urban search and rescue teams have been working around the clock, deploying advanced equipment in an effort to maximise the critical rescue window associated with building collapses.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a comprehensive investigation into the collapse is underway.<\/p>\n

A multi-sectoral team comprising the National Police Service, the National Construction Authority (NCA), the Engineers Board of Kenya, BORAQS, NEMA, Nairobi City County and other agencies has been formed to establish the cause of the collapse and determine accountability.<\/p>\n

The NCA has already indicated that the building was non-compliant at the time of collapse, while Nairobi City County confirmed it had issued three violation notices.<\/p>\n

Preliminary assessments show the structure collapsed layer upon layer, compacting debris and significantly complicating rescue operations.<\/p>\n

Authorities have urged the public to avoid speculation\u2014particularly on social media\u2014and to rely only on verified government updates, as structural assessments of neighbouring buildings continue.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 4 \u2014 A second body has been retrieved from the rubble of the collapsed South C building as search and rescue operations entered the sixth day on Wednesday, even as emergency teams continued combing through the debris for any other possible victims. Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku was on his way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128091\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}