By Canadian Press

At least 7 killed as school collapses in Kenya’s capital

Sep 23, 2019 | 4:52 AM

NAIROBI, Kenya — A school collapsed in Kenya’s capital on Monday morning, and officials said at least seven children were killed. Two others were in critical condition.

Parents wailed at the scene of The Precious Talent Top School in Nairobi. Hundreds of people gathered as emergency workers picked through debris. It was not clear whether anyone was trapped underneath.

Government spokesman Cyrus Oguna confirmed the deaths. Kenyatta National Hospital later said 64 children had been admitted and that two of them were in critical condition.

“The children here were all running away and crying,” local resident Michael Otieno said. More than 800 students are enrolled at the school, officials said.

It was not immediately clear why the building of corrugated metal and wood collapsed around 7:30 a.m. Construction can be poorly regulated in some fast-growing Kenyan communities.

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Nathaniel Matalanga, a structural engineer with La Femme Engineering Services Ltd., told reporters at the scene that 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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Josphat Kasire, The Associated Press