Rescue operations at the site of the collapsed multi-storey building (reported as 16- or 18-storey) along 9th Street in Eastleigh, Nairobi, are entering their final stages, nearly a week after the tragedy.
The number of people still unaccounted for has dropped to 16 after verification (down from earlier figures of around 20).
Phone signal data indicates that nine of the missing persons may have been inside or near the building at the time of the collapse.
No new live rescues or body recoveries have been reported since Saturday in the later stages of the operation.
Multi-agency teams (including National Disaster Management Unit, Kenya Red Cross, and Chinese specialists) have cleared approximately 80% of the rubble.
Specialised acoustic life detectors detected possible signs of life, but access remains extremely difficult due to the nature of the collapse and confined site conditions.
National Disaster Management Unit Director Duncan Onyango stated that teams were racing against time and hoped to conclude the main search by the end of Wednesday or Thursday, depending on technical challenges.
Families continue to wait anxiously at the site for news of loved ones.
Chaos erupted on 28 October when youths scrambled for scrap metal being transported from the site on county trucks.
Earlier phases of the rescue saw some survivors pulled out in the first days after the collapse on Friday, 23 October.
Authorities have restricted public access near the site to avoid interference. The Kenya Red Cross continues tracing and support services for affected families. Hopes of finding more survivors alive have significantly diminished as the operation winds down.
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