In the dark early hours of Thursday, rescuers working through the ruins on Eastleigh's 9th Street brought out two more bodies, a woman at about 1.30am and a man two hours later, pushing the confirmed death toll from the October 23 building collapse to four.

Police said both bodies were badly decomposed. Crime Scene Investigation officers documented the scene before the remains were taken to the City Mortuary, where post-mortem examinations and identification are expected.

Fourteen days of digging

The recoveries came as the multi-agency operation entered its 14th day. Two bodies had been found earlier, on October 30 and November 3. The National Police Service says four people have been pulled out alive since the multi-storey building, which was still under construction, came down and trapped workers and others under tonnes of concrete.

Officials say about 90 per cent of the debris has now been cleared. The remaining work is the hardest: reaching the lower floors and the basement, where some of the missing are believed to have been trapped. Specialised equipment earlier picked up what were thought to be possible signs of life, raising hopes of finding more survivors.

"Members of the public are urged to keep away from the affected site to allow emergency responders, specialised equipment, and rescue personnel to continue the arduous task of clearing the remaining debris," the police said in a statement.

Who is still missing

Nairobi North County Commissioner Simon Osumba said 16 people remained unaccounted for after a verification exercise by the Kenya Red Cross and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

  • Mobile phone data shows nine of the missing were at the building shortly before it collapsed.
  • Authorities are following up leads on four other cases.
  • Three families have not yet provided phone numbers that would help trace their relatives.

The number of missing has shifted during the operation. On November 2, National Disaster Management Unit Director Duncan Ochieng said the figure had dropped from 16 to 11 after five people reported missing were found safe, according to People Daily.

Questions over approvals

The disaster has triggered investigations into possible breaches of building rules and lapses in supervision. Detectives have reportedly questioned one of the developers, as well as officials from Nairobi County, the National Building Inspectorate and the National Construction Authority, as they try to establish what caused the collapse.

For families still waiting outside the cordon, each overnight shift brings the same mix of hope and dread. Identification of the two latest victims is expected after post-mortem examinations at the City Mortuary.

Photos: Capital FM (rescue site); People Daily (Kenya Red Cross team at the site). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.