NAIROBI, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- China's Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG) has joined rescue operations and helped rescue two people following the collapse of a multi-story building in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, a local police officer said on Sunday.
William Sifuna Watitwa, staff officer personnel for the Nairobi North sub-region, confirmed that XCMG provided an excavator and a 25-tonne crane to support search efforts.
"The excavator played an instrumental role in rescuing two people trapped beneath the debris on Saturday," Sifuna said.
He said the crane allows emergency responders to tackle the operation from above, lifting heavy debris to lighten the load and improve access to potential survivors.
His comments came as emergency responders intensified search and rescue operations on Sunday, following the rescue of two survivors from the rubble on Saturday.
According to government officials, five people remain missing while four others are currently hospitalized.
Fredrick Nyasani, an administrator at XCMG Kenya office, noted that the company mobilized the machinery immediately after learning of the collapse.
Nyasani added that the excavator and crane work in tandem, clearing rubble and hoisting concrete slabs, to help rescuers reach those trapped beneath the wreckage.
The multi-story building collapsed in Eastleigh, a high-density commercial and residential suburb in Nairobi, on Friday, raising fears that construction workers and bystanders could be trapped beneath the rubble.
Authorities are coordinating rescue efforts as teams work to determine if more people remain in the debris.
Kenya has seen several building collapses in recent years, with experts pointing to lax regulatory enforcement and a lack of routine safety inspections by government officials. ■