KISUMU,Kenya, Sep, 14 – Police in Kondele arrested Gilbert Aono, the contractor of a two storey building that collapsed Monday in Mamboleo area in Kisumu county.
He is set to be arraigned Tuesday.
The building according to the National Construction Authority had been red flagged for not adhering to building regulations.
The owner is being pursued by police.
Authorities who spoke to Shahidi News said that the recovered bodies consisted of two females and one male. They were identified as Victor Odhiambo aged 29, Florence Odhiambo, 25, and Beatrice Awuor aged 30
The two women were food delivery attendants serving the construction site workers.
A headcount of those at the scene kicked off in earnest as the area was cordoned off due to safety concerns. The operation was however Monday evening called off wit authorities accounting for everyone.
“We were taking lunch on site and I had just left her serving my colleagues before the incident happened. We did not anticipate what was about to happen. We just heard a cracking sound and then the building collapsed,” Joseph Okeyo, a worker at the site said.
Firefighters alongside a multi-agency search and rescue team had to struggle for a while as the excavator set be used during the operation arrived past an hour after the incident had happened.
The incident had occurred at around 1 pm according to construction site workers.
Residents in a collective effort managed to pull a mother and a child from the rubble.
Shockingly, a similar incident occurred in the same area barely a year ago after a three storey-building collapsed.
The incident left several people nursing injuries.
Police say search and rescue operation is ongoing at the Mamboleo site.
The bodies of the deceased are being preserved at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital.
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