Three construction workers were Monday killed after a wall of a trench they were digging collapsed and trapped them in Westlands, Nairobi.
The three men were at a construction site along Brookside Drive when the wall of the trench they were working on caved in on them. Police and witnesses said the three died because it took long to rescue them. The affected place usually floods whenever it rains and the workers were digging a huge trench to help in controlling the flow of water. Gigiri police boss Vitalis Otieno said the incident happened at about 1 pm as the workers were deep in the trench when the walls caved in.
“We suspect the walls were weak leading to the tragedy. They were also covered by the soil they had dug from the trench and a probe has been launched to establish how it happened,” said Otieno. He said rescuers rushed to the scene moments after an alarm was raised by fellow construction workers who were outside.
The bodies were removed from the rubble almost two hours after the incident had happened. This is the latest such incident to happen in a span of one week. On July 21, four workers were killed in Westlands area along Peponi Road in Nairobi after a wall collapsed. Nine men were rescued alive and rushed to a nearby hospital where they were treated and discharged.
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The rescue operation was carried by KDF- Disaster Response Unit, National Disaster Operation Centre, National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU), National Youth Service, Nairobi County Government, National Police Service, Kenya Red Cross and members of the public. The wall at a construction site along General Mathenge road and close to the Westgate shopping mall collapsed trapping workers Thursday afternoon.
Another man had been killed earlier on the previous day after a building under construction collapsed in Spring Valley area. Two other masons were injured in the incident. The collapse of the walls has raised concern about building safety standards. The National Construction Authority has been carrying out a campaign aimed at ensuring safety of workers in general. NCA also calls on developers to adhere to the laid down rules while constructing structures.
