NINE KILLED IN NAIROBI CRANE ACCIDENT

A crane that collapsed at a construction site in Nairobi left nine people dead. According to ZJCC, the Chinese construction company in charge of the building project, the crane came crashing down while a team of workers was attempting to dismantle it.

While the cause of the collapse is not clear at the moment, the nationalities of those who have died have been confirmed. Seven of the workers were Kenyans and two of them were Chinese.

According to reports an eyewitness in the Kenyan capital said they heard people screaming as the crane slammed into the ground.

A 27-year-old construction worker, Michael Odhiambo told AFP that they were having lunh when they heard things falling. At first they thought it was part of the building coming down.

“When we got there, we found a crane had snapped and tumbled down,” he said, adding that one of the workers managed to escape with his life thanks to a safety harness. The scene has since been cordoned off while authorities are investigating the matter.

While the country is going through a construction boom in both the residential and commercial sectors, corners are frequently cut due to corruption and fraud.

In December 2019 a residential building collapsed that left three people dead.

Image credit: The Guardian Nigeria