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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Rebecca Speare-Cole

Nairobi school collapse: At least seven children killed after building falls down in Kenya

At least seven children have been killed after a school collapsed in Kenya's capital.

Hundreds of people gathered at The Precious Talent Top School in Nairobi as emergency workers picked through the debris.

Parents were wailing over the school's remains and it was not clear whether anyone was still trapped underneath.

Government spokesman Cyrus Oguna confirmed the seven deaths, and Kenyatta National Hospital later said 64 children had been admitted, most with minor injuries.

However, two children were said to be in a critical condition.

"The children here were all running away and crying," said neighbour Michael Otieno.

More than 800 students are enrolled at the school, officials said.

One survivor, 10-year-old Tracy Oduor, said: "We were in class reading and we heard pupils and teachers screaming, and the class started collapsing and then a stone hit me on the mouth.

Seven children died and scores injured early on Monday when a school building collapsed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi (AFP/Getty Images)

"When we got out of the gate we heard that pupils were dead. I feel so sad."

It was not immediately clear why the building of corrugated metal and wood collapsed on Monday morning.

Construction can be poorly regulated in some fast-growing Kenyan communities.

"You can easily break it with your own hands, as easy as that," Peter Ouko, a neighbour, said of the building materials.

"This is chicken wire, not a construction material, and someone had the guts to use this to build a construction for our kids. I think this is basically premeditated murder."

Nathaniel Matalanga, a structural engineer with La Femme Engineering Services, told reporters he didn't think "any professionals" were involved in the school's construction and he blamed "greed."

There was no immediate comment from school officials.

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