Several people are feared dead after a quarry caved in at Mutonga in Igoji, South Imenti, Meru County, on Wednesday, October 21.
The collapse reportedly left workers buried beneath fallen rocks, prompting an urgent search for those who may have been trapped.
At around 9:20am, Meru County Special Programmes Director Lena Kiambi confirmed the accident in a social media post and announced that a rescue team was heading to the scene.
“Mutonga, Igoji quarry accident. Rescue mission enroute,” the post read.
The number of casualties had not been officially confirmed by the time of publication, although some media reports indicated that six people had died in the collapse.
Early reports indicated that one worker escaped without injuries, while another was pulled from the rubble by residents and taken to hospital with serious injuries.
According to a worker who survived the incident, six other workers were suspected to be trapped beneath the debris at the time.
Rescue efforts continued as those at the scene worked to establish whether more workers could be reached beneath the rubble.
Residents also joined the operation, helping to clear the fallen rocks as they searched for the missing workers.
Authorities are yet to establish the cause of the collapse at the quarry, which is located near the boundary between Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties.
More to follow...