Eastleigh Building Collapse: China Sends Specialised Team, Modern Equipment to Search for Survivors

China has deployed a specialised search-and-rescue team to help locate survivors trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in EastleighThe team has advanced detection technology capable of identifying people trapped beneath the debrisRescue efforts have intensified, with heavy machinery helping emergency responders clear rubblePAY ATTENTION: Mark TUKO.co.ke as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!

A Chinese search-and-rescue team has joined efforts to locate people trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area, deploying specialised equipment to boost the chances of finding survivors.

Chinese Blue Sky Rescue team members at the Eastleigh building collapse scene, where they have joined the search for survivors trapped beneath the rubble. Photos: Yusuf Hassan. Source: FacebookKamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan said the team, known as Blue Sky Rescue, had detected two people alive in the basement, raising hopes of rescuing more victims. The team is equipped with advanced detection technology that can identify people trapped beneath the rubble.

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Blue Sky Rescue is a Chinese non-profit emergency response organisation that specialises in locating and rescuing people trapped in disasters, including building collapses, earthquakes and floods.

Founded in 2007 following the devastating Wenchuan earthquake in China, the organisation deploys trained rescue personnel and specialised equipment to locate survivors, provide emergency assistance and support disaster response operations.

The team’s deployment comes after the Kenya Red Cross Society and Blue Sky Rescue signed a partnership in August 2026 to strengthen disaster preparedness by establishing county-level urban search-and-rescue teams.

Meanwhile, China’s Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG) has also joined the rescue operation, providing heavy machinery that helped emergency responders rescue two people from the debris.

William Sifuna Watitwa, the staff officer for personnel in the Nairobi North sub-region, confirmed that the company had supplied an excavator and a 25-tonne crane to support the operation.

He explained that the crane was being used to lift heavy debris from above, reducing the weight of the rubble and improving access to areas where survivors could be trapped.

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Fredrick Nyasani, an administrator at XCMG’s Kenya office, said the company mobilised the machinery immediately after learning about the incident.

Nyasani added that the excavator and crane were working together to clear rubble and lift concrete slabs, helping rescuers reach people trapped beneath the wreckage.

Emergency responders intensified search efforts on Sunday following Saturday’s rescue of two survivors. Government officials said five people remained missing, while four others were receiving treatment in hospital.

The collapse occurred on Saturday, October 24, when an 18-storey building under construction gave way, trapping workers and other people beneath the debris.

Emergency teams subsequently launched a search-and-rescue operation involving security agencies, local responders and heavy machinery as they worked to reach those still missing.

The operation continued into Tuesday, with specialised equipment and international assistance being deployed to improve access to the building’s basement and other areas beneath the rubble.

Harry Ivan Mboto (Current affairs editor) Harry Ivan Mboto is an accredited journalist with the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) and a Current Affairs and Politics Editor at TUKO.co.ke. He is a Linguistics, Media, and Communication student at Moi University and has five years of experience in digital journalism. Have a news tip, query, or feedback? Reach him at: harry.ivan@tuko.co.ke.