Three people have been rescued and rushed to hospital after an eight-storey building under construction collapsed in Syokimau, Machakos County, on Friday, November 13, triggering an emergency search and rescue operation.
The Kenya Red Cross confirmed that its rescue teams were at the scene, working alongside other emergency responders to search for people trapped beneath the rubble.
The organisation said one person had initially been reported missing, although subsequent reports indicated that the number of people feared dead could be higher.
Kenya Red Cross Confirms Rescue of Three People in Syokimau
In a statement issued following the incident, the Kenya Red Cross confirmed that three people had been pulled from the collapsed structure and taken to hospital.
“Three people have been rescued and taken to hospital after a building under construction collapsed in Syokimau. Search and rescue operations are ongoing for one person reported missing,” the organisation stated.
The humanitarian organisation deployed its Red Cross Action Team to coordinate rescue efforts with other emergency response agencies.
The condition of those rescued had not been immediately established, as emergency personnel continued searching through the debris.
Five Feared Dead After Eight-Storey Building Collapses
Separate security and emergency reports indicated that at least five people were feared dead following the collapse of the eight-storey structure along Mombasa Road, near the Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Terminus.
Preliminary reports suggested that the incident happened during concreting works after a formwork failure caused part of the building’s upper floors to collapse.
There were also fears that the number of casualties could rise to six, although the final toll had not been officially confirmed.
Nairobi County Chief Officer in charge of Disaster Management, Bramwell Simiyu, said emergency response teams from City Hall had been deployed to the scene.
Rescue personnel continued working to establish whether more people were trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
Syokimau Collapse Raises Fresh Concerns After Eastleigh Building Tragedy
The Syokimau incident comes less than a month after another building under construction collapsed in Eastleigh, Nairobi, resulting in eight confirmed deaths.
The Eastleigh building collapsed on October 23, 2026, prompting a multi-agency search and rescue operation that continued for several days.
On Thursday, November 5, the National Police Service (NPS) announced that six additional bodies had been recovered from the rubble, bringing the confirmed death toll to eight.
The six victims comprised four women and two men.
Four other people had been rescued alive following the Eastleigh collapse.
Police Issue Update on Eastleigh Building Collapse
In its statement, the National Police Service said multi-agency teams were continuing search, rescue and recovery operations to account for everyone who might have been caught in the collapse.
The police also urged members of the public to avoid the affected site and follow instructions from emergency responders to allow rescue operations to proceed without interference.
Families searching for missing relatives were advised to seek assistance from the Kenya Red Cross team stationed at the scene.
The police further provided an emergency response line, 1199, for families seeking information about missing relatives.
The latest incident in Syokimau comes amid renewed attention on building safety and construction oversight following successive structural collapses in Nairobi and its surrounding areas.
Authorities are yet to provide a comprehensive account of the circumstances surrounding the Syokimau collapse.
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