Unknown number of people trapped after 16-story building under construction in Nairobi collapses

A multi-storey building in Kenya’s capital Nairobi collapsed on Friday, leaving a unknown number of people trapped beneath the rubble.

Rescue workers have digging through the debris looking for survivors. According to local media, the building was 16-stories high.

The Kenya Red Cross said a multi-agency response team was at the scene is an area of Nairobi known as South C.

Authorities have not yet indicated why the building might have collapsed or how many people may have been killed, although the death toll is not expected to be high.

Building collapses are common in Nairobi due to high demand for housing and developers often bypass regulations or simply violate building codes.

After eight buildings collapsed and killed 15 people in Kenya in 2015, the presidency ordered an audit of buildings across the country to see if they were up to code.

The National Construction Authority found that 58 percent of the buildings in Nairobi were unfit for habitation.