Families in desperate search for loved ones

Forty people were on Thursday reported missing by their families following the tragic fire at a supermarket in downtown Nairobi, according to rescue services. At Kenyatta National Hospital, an employee died of spinal injuries suffered when he jumped from the first floor of the burning shop.

The Kenya Red Cross emergency team received reports of missing persons, including a two-year-old, and counselled distraught relatives at a trauma centre set up outside Nakumatt Downtown at the junction of Kimathi Street and Kenyatta Avenue that was gutted by a 3pm inferno on Wednesday.

Red Cross secretary-general Abbas Gullet they had registered names of 40 people who are still missing. He said of the missing people, five are staff of the supermarket that exploded into a ball of fire.

“We have registered 40 cases of missing people. Their relatives have been to our tent at the Stanley Hotel and we are continuing to counsel them,” Mr Gullet told the Nation at the scene of the fire accident.

He said a team of rescuers from the police, the military and other agencies would enter the building and recover the bodies throughout the night. The site was fenced off in the evening with iron sheets in preparation for recovery mission. Nakumatt management issued a statement on Wednesday evening claiming all its customers and staff were safe.

By the time of going to press, rescuers had still not entered the building due to safety concerns. Many survivors reported having seen people trapped inside. The operation to put out the fire was still going on 24 hours after it broke out.

Experts from Kenya Army, National Disaster Management, Police Scenes of Crime, Ministry of Public Works and Nairobi Fire brigade and Knight Support were on site on Thursday. Many relatives said those missing made desperate calls, saying they were trapped in the building. They waited outside the store, sometimes breaking down, but still hoping that their loved ones were alive and well.

The Red Cross team said a man, who was not immediately identified but who had escaped by jumping out of the building, had died of his injuries. He was among several survivors who escaped by crawling through the ceiling on to the roof.

Mr Thiagarajan Ramamurthy, the Nakumatt director of operations who on Wednesday issued the premature all-safe statement, yesterday said five of his staff were unaccounted for.

“By Wednesday evening I had information that all people had been rescued, but according to information from the Kenya Red Cross team, several people are missing. We are saddened by this incident and grieve with the families. We are not able to see anything now to confirm, but we hope that the fire will be put out soon,” he said during a visit to the site.

On Thursday evening, the government gave the go-ahead for the debris to be cleared, paving the way for a recovery. A man desperately looking for his wife has been camping at the scene since Wednesday afternoon. He appealed to the shop boss to hasten the rescue operation.

“Please don’t prolong our suffering. We want to know if our relatives were there or not, even if they are dead,” he said.

Been shopping

The Red Cross Disaster Preparedness Operations manager Davis Ogogo said that 26 people who were reported to have either been shopping or working in the supermarket had been reported missing. He said 30 trauma workers were on hand to offer counselling and first aid to those in need.

Among those who reported a missing relative was University of Nairobi staffer Simeon Odera, who said his sister Janet Odera, 40, was in the burning building.

“She called me and my brother Charles to say she was trapped in the fire and choking. She said they were dying and asked us to pray for her. I called her a second time as I ran from the university to the supermarket, but by the time I got to the building it was too late.

“We can’t reach her on her mobile phone. She told us that she was upstairs and that she was choking. We have gone to all hospitals and police stations looking for her in vain,” Mr Odera said.

Ms Odera, a mother of three, is an accountant at National Irrigation Board. She was to meet her brothers after shopping. Mr Ezekiel Macharia, a Nakumatt employee, was also missing. His brother, Mr Isaac Mwangi, said: “One of his colleagues called me and asked if I had seen him.

“He told us that they were trapped with several other people, but he managed to jump out of the burning supermarket and left Macharia behind.” He said he spoke to his brother before the fire, but couldn’t reach him in the afternoon.

Ismail Abdul Mohammed, 17, said his mother, 37, and his 20-year-old sister were in the building and that he watched helplessly as the fire spread. They had entered the supermarket leaving him talking to an acquaintance at the entrance.

“They went in to buy me a gift... there was an explosion and the security guards blocked us from entering. Those inside couldn’t get out. I called... and they told me they were trapped upstairs near some bookshelves and were choking on smoke.

“My sister said it was dark and they could not see anything,” he said. He stayed at the scene until 2am, begging to be allowed in to look for his mum and sister.

Kayole resident Benson Alumasa Otiende was looking for his wife, Violet Ingosani, 34, who had informed him that she was going to Nakumatt Downtown. The mother of two was with her niece but they parted in the city centre.

“I have visited Kenyatta, Avenue, MP Shah and Nairobi hospitals and I am now going to Coptic hospital where some of the injured were taken,” he said.

Police are yet to start a forensic investigation to determine the cause of the fire. An investigation team has, however, been put together, the Nation learned.