14 killed in slum wall collapse in Kenya

The death toll from a wall collapse in a Nairobi slum rose to 14, including three babies, after emergency workers dug through rubble and found more bodies, Kenyan police said today.

The wall toppled over on Friday evening, apparently after heavy rain loosened the foundations, tipping rubble on to a maze of makeshift homes in the Mukuru slum, said Julius Muthuri, police chief for the area.

“Most of the wall collapsed on the houses, crushing the residents,” he said. The wall was 8ft (2.5m) high and 230ft (70m) wide.

The wall was serving as a barrier fence in the slum, where homes are constructed of wood and corrugated iron sheeting.

An Associated Press reporter saw 10 bodies on Friday night – seven adults and three infants – laid out on sheets near the site of the collapse.

“The city engineer needs to know we are living in a dangerous place,” Mukuru resident Albert Omundi said. “We blame them, they need to take care of us.”