Slum death toll up to 14

11 June 2007 - 02:00
By unknown

NAIROBI - 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, police said yesterday.

NAIROBI - 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, police said yesterday.

The wall fell on Saturday evening, apparently after heavy rain loosened its foundation, 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 2,5m tall and 70m wide.

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

A reporter saw 10 corpses - seven adults and three infants - laid out on sheets near the site of the collapse. - Sapa-AP