Pictures have surfaced of a Nairobi businessman who was dragged from the ruins 30 hours after a building caved in at Eastleigh, Nairobi, leaving him thankful to be alive but crushed by the loss of his business.
Victor Onyango, an entrepreneur who operated a tailoring shop in the building’s basement, has narrated how he survived the terrifying ordeal that happened on Friday afternoon.Onyango was sewing garments in his shop along 9th Street when the building abruptly came tumbling down.
The roof gave way, hurling him into a corner as concrete and shattered materials buried the area around him.
Pinned under the wreckage, the tailor fought to find a way out as more sections of the structure kept falling.
He cautiously crawled over the rubble, anxiously searching for a gap that could lead him to safety.
While struggling, Onyango realised that a woman was also stuck nearby.
Despite the perilous conditions, he kept moving through the debris as he tried to find an exit.
Rescue crews eventually got to Onyango, and he guided them to the woman’s position, allowing them to reach and rescue her.After roughly 30 hours trapped under the fallen building, Onyango was pulled out alive and rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital for treatment.
He was later released to continue recovering at home.
Still, his survival came with painful financial setbacks.
His sewing machines, fabrics and other precious belongings stayed buried beneath the wreckage, wiping out the business he relied on for his daily earnings.
The tailor now faces the task of starting over after losing the tools and materials he needs to run his trade.
The building crumbled on Friday, October 23, while construction work was still under way. It stood along 9th Street near Yusuf Haji Avenue in Eastleigh, Nairobi.
Reports suggested that about 67 construction workers were at the site when the structure fell. Of these, 66 reportedly got out unharmed, while one was injured.However, traders running businesses on the lower floors were trapped in the tragedy.
By Sunday, the National Police Service had confirmed that four people had been saved alive as emergency crews kept looking for possible survivors.