A woman identified as Aisha Dawe Jilo has recounted her desperate attempts to reach a young man feared trapped beneath the rubble after a multi-storey building collapsed in Eastleigh, Nairobi, on Friday afternoon.
Aisha, a resident of 10th Street in the Ninth District, arrived at the scene shortly after the building came down at approximately 1:09 pm.
Speaking to TV47 Kenya, she said the missing people included a young woman named Fate, who operated a shop on the building’s ground floor, and a young man whose uncle was at the scene seeking help.
According to Aisha, the young man had managed to contact her relative, who then urged those around him to seek urgent assistance.
Last Contact With Man Feared Trapped
Aisha said she first spoke to the young man at approximately 1:47 pm and contacted him again around 3:07 pm, when he was reportedly still alive.
During the live broadcast, a reporter asked whether she could call him again to establish his condition. Aisha agreed, although his subsequent condition was not confirmed in the account provided.
The family had reportedly alerted their inspector, identified as Nur, who responded quickly and contacted the relevant government authorities.
By the time Aisha spoke to the reporter, Kenya Red Cross personnel and police officers were already at the scene as rescue efforts continued.
‘We Leave Everything in God’s Hands’
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the missing people, Aisha expressed hope that those still alive would be rescued safely.
“We leave everything in God’s hands. We pray that those who are alive will be rescued safely. Even those who may have died, we pray that they will be recovered safely,” she said.
Her account captured the anguish of families waiting for news of loved ones as rescuers worked through the aftermath of the collapse.
A further update from the Nairobi governor was expected within an hour of the broadcast, while reporters at the scene awaited confirmed information on casualties and the progress of rescue operations.
The condition of the young man Aisha contacted, as well as the whereabouts of Fate and other potentially missing people, remained unconfirmed in the account.
