By A Correspondent- NAIROBI – A multi-storey building under construction collapsed on Friday in Eastleigh, a densely populated commercial and residential suburb of Kenya’s capital.

The structure, said to be around 18 floors high, came down with an unknown number of people feared trapped under the debris.

Nairobi police boss Issa Mohamud said the upper floors were still under construction when the building caved in.

“More than 10 of its upper floors were still being built,” Mohamud said.

Chaotic scenes followed the collapse as crowds gathered at the site and reports of looting emerged. Police fired tear gas to disperse onlookers and clear the way for rescue teams.

The operation has been complicated by the congested nature of the area, with neighbouring high-rise buildings limiting access for emergency equipment.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said preliminary checks showed the building had no approval to be occupied.

“The building had no occupation certificate,” Sakaja said, warning that safety violations could have led to the disaster.

The incident has once again put the spotlight on Nairobi’s construction sector. County authorities have repeatedly faced accusations of lax inspection and failure to enforce building standards.

A recent audit by the National Building Inspectorate of nearly 15,000 buildings in the city found that 72.3 percent were unsafe, while 4.8 percent were classified as very dangerous.