A second body has been retrieved from the rubble of the collapsed South C building as search and rescue operations entered the sixth day on Wednesday, even as emergency teams continued combing through the debris for any other possible victims.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku was on his way to the site for a briefing, officials said, as the scale of the tragedy continues to unfold.

Incident Commander and Director of the National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) Duncan Onyango Ochieng had reported significant progress on the operation even as he said it remained delicate and high-risk.

“We wish to inform the public that considerable progress has been made, and we commend the multi-agency Urban Search and Rescue teams who continue to work around the clock with unwavering dedication and professionalism,” Ochieng said.

He extended condolences to the affected families and directly addressed relatives of the victims, acknowledging the anxiety and emotional distress they continue to endure.

“Please be assured that the Incident Management Team is doing everything within its capacity, applying specialised skills, equipment and proven rescue techniques to locate and retrieve the suspected victims,” he said, adding that this commitment remains the guiding principle of all operational decisions.

Ochieng reiterated that the objectives of the operation remain unchanged: ensuring the safety of responders and the public, searching for and rescuing or recovering victims, and clearing debris to allow for the gradual restoration of normalcy once conditions permit.

However, he cautioned that the site remains extremely hazardous.

A disaster risk assessment conducted on Sunday morning identified heightened dangers arising from the continuous movement of heavy machinery, increased debris along access routes, and exposed metallic materials within the active rescue zone.

As a result, members of the public and all responders without appropriate personal protective equipment—including helmets, eye and ear protection—were urged to stay away from the active operation areas.

The site has been clearly demarcated, and authorities appealed for strict adherence to safety boundaries to prevent secondary injuries and avoid disrupting rescue efforts.

The latest recovery comes days after the recovery of the first body on Sunday. CS Ruto had prior to the recovery said rescue teams believed two people were feared trapped in the collapsed structure may still have been alive, a belief that informed the intensity of the operation.

“The reports we have indicate that two persons may have been trapped inside the collapsed structure. There is reason to believe they could still be alive, and this belief continues to strongly inform and motivate the ongoing intensive rescue efforts,” Ruku said on Saturday.

  1. The 14-storey building, which included a basement parking area, collapsed at around 4.05am on Friday near South C Shopping Centre and Nairobi South Hospital.

The government has described the incident as a pancake-type collapse, although the exact cause has yet to be established.

A multi-agency emergency response was activated immediately, led by the NDMU under the Incident Command System.

Specialised urban search and rescue teams have been working around the clock, deploying advanced equipment in an effort to maximise the critical rescue window associated with building collapses.