Several construction workers are believed to be trapped in the rubble of a collapsed flyover that was under construction in Kangemi, Nairobi.
A video seen by Kenyans.co.ke on the evening of Monday, June 21, showed rescue teams attempting to rescue the workers. The Standard reported that four people had already been rescued while multiple others remained unaccounted for.
A crowd could be seen at the scene of the accident while police attempted to keep them from interfering with the emergency operation.
Ambulances could be seen heading to the scene of the incident.
The collapsed section was part of the Ksh16 billion Waiyaki Way expansion project awarded to China Wu Yi firm.
The project involves the expansion of the 25km James Gichuru-Rironi Road stretch along Waiyaki Way into a superhighway. The project, which began in 2017, was slated to be completed in December 2020.
In April 2021, during an inspection of the project, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia issued an ultimatum to engineers after noting huge delays.
The CS said that the delays were becoming more frequent, and gave an ultimatum for the road to be completed by the end of July 2021.
The flyover under construction was a replacement for the initial flyover that had become too small for the growing traffic needs on the busy highway.
The company, in their defense, had argued that the delay caused by unavoidable circumstances.
Engineer Sanjay Kumar added that construction works on the road is 85 percent complete and affirmed that the 3-kilometer stretch would be finished in due time.
The project is running concurrently with the erection of the Nairobi Expressway which will connect Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the neighborhood of Rironi, in Kiambu County, along the Nairobi-Limuru Road.
Below is the video:
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