Tragedy struck on Sunday evening in the Bamburi Mwisho area, Nyali Constituency, Mombasa County, after a septic tank collapsed beneath a hall where football fans had gathered.
At least four people are feared dead following the incident, which occurred as a group watched a football match.
The hall, which was reportedly used for screening football matches and movies, had been built directly on top of the underground septic tank.
The structure gave way during the event, causing the floor to suddenly collapse and sending several people plunging into the tank. The exact number of people trapped remains unknown.
Mombasa County Commissioner Mahmoud Noor confirmed the tragic incident. According to him, the victims were inside the hall when the floor suddenly gave in.
A relative of one of the victims, speaking emotionally, said, “They were watching a football match when the floor suddenly caved in and they fell inside.
Everything, including the people and items in the hall, is now trapped inside the septic tank.”
The incident has sparked outrage among local residents, who are now demanding answers from the county government of Mombasa. They want officials to explain how such a structure was allowed to be constructed without following proper approval and safety procedures.
Immediately after the tragedy, police officers and emergency response teams from the county rushed to the scene to begin rescue operations. The teams are working tirelessly to retrieve bodies and check for any possible survivors who may still be trapped under the rubble.
As of now, both the county government and the local authorities have not issued any formal update regarding the status of the ongoing rescue efforts.
Families of the victims and the general public remain anxiously hopeful as operations continue.
This heartbreaking incident has intensified concerns about the safety of buildings and construction practices in the coastal region.
Just recently, on April 3, residents near Coast General Hospital in Mombasa were thrown into panic after cracks appeared on a nearby residential building, sparking fears that it could collapse.
The 11-storey building was evacuated immediately, especially as the area had been experiencing continuous heavy rainfall.
Investigations revealed that the building had been constructed without following the necessary building codes and safety standards, endangering the lives of its occupants.
A week later, on April 11, the building was brought down in a controlled demolition by officers from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), who used detonators to safely take down the unsafe structure.
These recent incidents are now raising serious questions about the enforcement of construction regulations in Mombasa and the general safety of structures in the region.
Residents are calling for urgent action to prevent more lives from being lost due to negligence and poor oversight.
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