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NAIROBI. – Rescue workers were racing yesterday to dig out a woman found alive under the rubble of a building in Kenya’s capital six days after it collapsed, a senior official at the site said.
The woman, who was receiving oxygen and had been connected to an intravenous drip by doctors, had survived in a pocket of broken masonry since the building crumbled on last Friday night.
“She cannot move but she is safe,” Kenya National Disaster Operation Centre manager Pius Masai told reporters after the woman was located.
He said she had spoken to doctors on site. Rescue workers were working with their hands and power tools to reach her.
Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero reported via Facebook yesterday that the woman had not been identified.
“The team of doctors looking after her, led by Nairobi Health executive Bernard Muia will ensure she is rushed to hospital for further medical checks,” he said.
The death toll from the collapse of the building has reached 36, Masai said. But only seven of the bodies have been identified; the exercise has been slowed down by the low turn-out of relatives.
Including the woman now being dug out, workers have rescued a total of 137 people.
Dozens are still listed as missing. But Kenya Red Cross officials have said it was not clear if those listed were caught in the collapse or had escaped but had not been traced.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing but teams complained of lack of sufficient materials and equipment.
Earlier this week rescuers said there was little chance of finding any more survivors, although a baby was pulled out of the wreckage on Tuesday, dehydrated but with no sign of other injuries. The baby was reunited with her father, but Masai said the baby’s mother was confirmed among those killed. – The Star.
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