Kenya collapsed building owner arrested

Image copyright

AFP

Image caption

A girl is rescued from the collapsed building – at least five of the dead are reported to be children

The owner of a building which collapsed in Kenya’s capital Nairobi on Friday, killing at least 21 people, has been arrested, police have told the BBC.

Samuel Karanja Kamau would appear in court on Tuesday, police added.

Earlier, officials said he did not have permission to rent out 119 rooms in the six-storey building. Mr Kamau has not yet commented on the allegation.

More than 90 people are still feared trapped beneath the rubble, reports the BBC’s Abdinoor Aden from the scene.

Rescue operations are continuing, he adds.

The governor of Nairobi, Evans Kidero, said that officials who approved the construction of the building in the poor neighbourhood of Huruma would be sacked.

Image copyright

AP

Image caption

Nearby residents have been evacuated from the area

Three days of rainfall caused landslides and flooded roads in Nairobi.

More than 800 homes were affected by the flooding, Kenya’s Red Cross said.

It criticised “chaotic scenes” as rescuers arrived after the Friday night collapse.

Nairobi’s police chief has said rescue teams were delayed on their way to the scene by hours-long traffic jams caused by flooded roads.

Huruma is made up of narrow streets, and this made it more difficult for rescue workers to reach the scene, local media reports.

All copyrights for this article are reserved to BBC News

Kenya collapsed building owner arrested
http://latiendadejm.com/blog/kenya-collapsed-building-owner-arrested/

BBC News, noticias | #BBCNews #Noticias | La tienda de JM