Families of the remaining two Kenyans who were trapped under the rubble of a sunken sewerage system after a structure where they were watching football caved in will have to wait longer to know the fate of their loved ones, the county government of Mombasa has confirmed.
Mombasa County Chief Officer for Disaster, Ibrahim Basafar, confirmed the news during an update on the progress of the recovery, revealing that they have been forced to request additional equipment to aid the recovery.
''When we started the recovery process, there were huge chunks of debris and stones that fell into the scene. That is why we have decided that we will need machinery specialised for that to help with the rescue operations,'' he said.
The CCO stated that allowing operations to continue without additional specialised equipment, such as a breathing apparatus, would have been disastrous for the county government.
''We cannot continue sending our officers down there, as that would be risky. Our officers are good at their work, but we need to protect them," Basafar added.
''We have been forced to look for breathing apparatus to help the officers, including the PPE's.''
The two are part of four people who succumbed on Sunday evening after a septic tank caved in beneath a hall where football fans had gathered to watch a match in the Bamburi Mwisho area in Nyali Constituency, Mombasa County.
The structure, reportedly used for screening football and movies, was constructed directly above the tank, which collapsed during the screening, trapping an unknown number of people.
Rescue Process
The rescuers, according to experts, will have to be lowered into the over 100 feet deep sewer using a shovel attached to a live line forklift.
The shovel will act as a bucket to enable the officers to access the deep ends where the bodies are believed to have been trapped.
The rescuers will install lights underground or attach them to the body, as the sewer is deeper and there is limited access to natural light.
Excavators will also lower culverts to act as body covers for the rescuers. This is because of the risk of falling debris that could likely bury the officers should they go in without them.
The process is expected to take at least six hours, after which the case will be handed over to the National Police Service for investigations.
