20 still missing after building collapse in Kenya

Emergency officials have rescued 39 people while some 20 others are still missing, believed to be still trapped in the rubble, after a four-storey building collapsed on Thursday in Kenya's Kapsabet town.

National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) Deputy Director and Communication Officer Pius Masai said 17 people managed to escape unhurt as emergency rescuers are at the scene to rescue those trapped in the rubble.

"It has been confirmed that it was a storey building which was still under construction," he said.

The building, located along the Kapsabet-Kisumu highway and said to be a hospital, curved in around midday.

Masai said rescue operation is going on, noting that local police commander who is leading the operation is requesting for skilled people with cutters and drillers to support the search and rescue operation.

Red Cross personnel and volunteers are among those making frantic rescue efforts. Some of those trapped cried out so they could be found.

It is reported that the building collapsed due to the use of substandard materials and improper supervision by the National Construction Authority.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)