The family of a young woman missing since an 18-storey building collapsed in Nairobi's Eastleigh area says her mobile phone, silent for more than a week, suddenly became reachable on Saturday and that a call to it was answered, raising fresh hope that she could still be alive under the debris.

Jude Rose Wanjiru, the mother of 22-year-old Aurelia Wanjiku, told journalists at the scene on October 31 that the family had tried her daughter's second line after her main number remained off. The call went through and was picked up, but no one spoke.

'We could hear the noise'

"It was like she could not hear us, but we could clearly hear the noise from her surroundings," Wanjiru said, according to Kenyans.co.ke. The family said they could make out the sound of excavators in the background, even though they were calling from away from the site.

Citizen Digital reported that the family immediately passed the information to government officials running the rescue operation, who forwarded it to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Detectives are working to trace the number, establish where the signal is coming from and deploy specialised equipment to try to reach her.

Wanjiru, who travelled from Kangema in Murang'a County when the building came down, said she had been unable to eat, especially after learning that a woman's dismembered body had been pulled from the rubble.

Families plead for speed

Other relatives camped at Ninth Street complained about the pace of the operation. Some said a foreign team had earlier reported detecting signs of life using special machines, only to later say the movements had shifted and the victims had not been reached.

"My brother remained inside. I cannot go home until I see him," one relative told Citizen TV.

According to the search and rescue team:

  • About 90 per cent of the debris has now been removed.
  • Sixteen people are still believed to be missing.
  • Rescuers think many of them may be trapped in one corner at the rear of the building.
  • The team hopes to complete the exercise on Sunday, November 1, the tenth day of the operation.

Media restrictions defended

Meanwhile, Dr William Sifuna of the National Disaster Management Unit defended restrictions limiting access to the site to accredited journalists and authorised personnel, telling The Standard that people filming from nearby buildings had spread unverified and exaggerated claims that caused anxiety among affected families.

The building, on Yusuf Haji Avenue, collapsed on Friday, October 23, triggering a multi-agency rescue operation by emergency responders and security agencies. Police are separately investigating who put up the structure.

Photos: The Standard; Kenyans.co.ke. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.