NAIROBI, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday called for thorough investigations after a residential building collapsed in Nairobi on Friday, killing at least five people while 29 others were injured.
Kenyatta, who sent his deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and acquaintances of those that lost their loved ones in the incident, said relevant agencies should take action against those whose actions and/or inactions led to the incident.
"The president directs law enforcement agencies to hasten investigations into the collapsed building with a view of taking punitive legal action against those whose actions and/or inactions led to the incident," State House spokesperson Kanze Dena Mararo said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
The president wished the victims quick recovery and assured that rescue efforts will continue until after every missing person is accounted for.
The president's remarks came after the rescuers confirmed that four people were killed and 29 others rescued so far following the collapse of a six-storey building at Tassia residential estate in the east of Nairobi County.
Wilson Njenga, Nairobi Regional Commissioner told journalists on Friday evening that 29 people were rushed to the hospitals and expressed fears several people remain trapped under the debris.
An unknown number of people are still trapped under the rubble as some of them were heard crying for help. Njenga confirmed that search and rescue operation resumed on Saturday.
Kenyatta commended the multi-agency rescue team comprising of government and humanitarian agencies for the swift and well-coordinated response that helped avert more deaths in the collapsed building and appeals to Kenyans to vacate all condemned structures across the country.
Experts say the East African nation has a vibrant construction industry that has become a huge boost to the East African nation's real estate sector, with hundreds of houses being put up across the country each day.
However, as the sector booms, the increased collapse of houses, especially during rainy seasons, points to the weaknesses in the industry, according to experts.
