Nine people were confirmed dead yesterday after a crane collapsed at a construction site in Nairobi’s Hurlingham area.
The incident is said to have started at around 12.45 pm when the crane lost balance before it collapsed down.
“Everything was just happening as usual and these construction workers were dismantling this crane since this building is now complete. But immediately they began dismantling it from the top, the crane lost balance and it collapsed,’ said Boniface Njuguna, a carpenter who has been working at the site.
Njuguna said since they began the construction two years ago, the building has been stable and had never shown any sign of collapsing.
“We suspect this to be the fault with the crane because all along we have been working here and the building has a very strong foundation,’ added Njuguna.
He added, “Some people were up on the crane dismantling it when it crashed. It is like they did not balance the weight well and it is unfortunate because eight people are now dead and two have been taken to hospital”.
Another witness who also spoke to People Daily said they heard screams and when they rushed at the site where they found dead bodies on the ground.
“ It did not take even more than 5 minutes. It was a very short incident that left these innocent souls dead. Some of the bodies even did not have hands and they were bleeding profusely,” said Grace Ndungu, a food vendor who works just near the construction which is opposite the site.
Ndungu added, “It’s a sad day for me. Most of these guys were my loyal customers. We had actually spoken in the morning and they had placed their different orders for lunch”.
Kilimani OCPD Andrew Mbogo confirmed the incident happened at a construction site for the proposed Qwetu residences opposite the Department of Defence headquarters.
“ It’s a sad day as we have already lost 9 people who were working here. The report we have is that the crane lost focus before collapsing. We have since sealed off the site and the area is now under the National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) to go on with their investigations,” said Mbogo.
Mbogo said two of the people who lost their lives are Chinese.
In a quick rejoinder, Zhejian Chengjian construction Africa said they are working closely with the relevant agencies to establish what could have led to the accident.
“ We are working with relevant agencies to establish what led to these accidents. However, from our preliminary details, we have established the following. While decommissioning our tower crane, part of it, unfortunately, collapsed killing nine technicians, seven of whom were of Kenyan nationality and two of Chinese nationality. One technician is currently receiving medical care,” read a statement from the construction firm.
The firm said they have sealed the site and they are now collaborating with police, directorate of occupational safety and health services in conducting further investigations into the incident according to the law set out.
The 14-storey building that was almost complete is a hostel run by Qwetu near Daystar University.
