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At least 12 dead, in apartment collapse as flooding continues in Kenya

By Marilyn Malara and Eric DuVall
At least seven people are dead after an apartment building collapsed during heavy flooding in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo by Kenya Red Cross/Twitter
At least seven people are dead after an apartment building collapsed during heavy flooding in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo by Kenya Red Cross/Twitter

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 30 (UPI) -- An apartment building collapsed in heavy rains and flooding in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, killing at least 12 people and injuring 120 more.

The rescue efforts are continuing Saturday in the estate of Haruma, CNN reported. The building collapsed in a "pancake" style, Kenya Red Cross said in a report.

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Sky News reported the death toll had reached 12 by Saturday afternoon local time, as rescuers tried peeling away blocks of masonry to reach potential survivors. The Kenyan news outlet NTV reported eight people had died in the incident, the collapsed 7-story building had been previously marked for demolition. Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta visited the scene and called for the arrest of the building's owner.

At least 132 survivors have been retrieved from the rubble; victims of the collapse will be temporarily sheltered at a local school, the outlet reported Saturday.

At least 16 have died and 56 have been reported missing throughout the capital as flooding continues, according to the Kenya Red Cross.

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Rescue efforts at the site of the building collapse were delayed due to traffic jams in the Kenyan capital because of flooded roads as the region undergoes its rainy season.

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