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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Kenya store fire death toll rises | Kenya store fire death toll rises |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| At least 22 people died in a blaze that gutted a store in Nairobi, and about 25 others are missing, officials say. | At least 22 people died in a blaze that gutted a store in Nairobi, and about 25 others are missing, officials say. |
| Two days after the blaze at Nakumatt supermarket, rescue workers are sifting though the debris, placing small red flags on suspected human remains. | Two days after the blaze at Nakumatt supermarket, rescue workers are sifting though the debris, placing small red flags on suspected human remains. |
| President Mwai Kibaki has visited the scene, where relatives of those missing are awaiting news. | President Mwai Kibaki has visited the scene, where relatives of those missing are awaiting news. |
| Police are investigating reports that doors were locked after the blaze broke out. Nakumatt has denied the claims. | Police are investigating reports that doors were locked after the blaze broke out. Nakumatt has denied the claims. |
| Some witnesses said guards had closed exits at the supermarket to keep out looters when the fire started on Wednesday, police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said. | Some witnesses said guards had closed exits at the supermarket to keep out looters when the fire started on Wednesday, police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said. |
| Forensic experts and the Kenya Red Cross are still working their way towards the rear of the store where it is believed some staff and customers were trapped. | Forensic experts and the Kenya Red Cross are still working their way towards the rear of the store where it is believed some staff and customers were trapped. |
| Cause unknown | Cause unknown |
| A BBC correspondent at the scene says sections of the supermarket are still smouldering and the cause of the fire is still unknown. | A BBC correspondent at the scene says sections of the supermarket are still smouldering and the cause of the fire is still unknown. |
| Mr Kiraithe said they hoped to soon remove the bodies that had been recovered. | Mr Kiraithe said they hoped to soon remove the bodies that had been recovered. |
| "The bodies have not been removed yet because we are working on preservation methods. We still believe that there are more bodies inside," he said.Passers-by helped firefighters tackle the blaze at the Nakumatt store | "The bodies have not been removed yet because we are working on preservation methods. We still believe that there are more bodies inside," he said.Passers-by helped firefighters tackle the blaze at the Nakumatt store |
| Visiting the scene, President Kibaki promised to "do what we can to assist all those who are hurt by this tragedy", Reuters news agency said. | Visiting the scene, President Kibaki promised to "do what we can to assist all those who are hurt by this tragedy", Reuters news agency said. |
| Kenyan media described scenes of chaos as the supermarket became consumed by fire. | Kenyan media described scenes of chaos as the supermarket became consumed by fire. |
| Some escaped by leaping from upstairs windows, causing at least one reported fatality. | Some escaped by leaping from upstairs windows, causing at least one reported fatality. |
| People said they had received desperate calls from relatives saying they were trapped inside and unable to escape. | People said they had received desperate calls from relatives saying they were trapped inside and unable to escape. |
| "I came running because I knew my mum was shopping there," said Ishmael Abdul Mohamed, as he watched the rescue operation on Friday. | "I came running because I knew my mum was shopping there," said Ishmael Abdul Mohamed, as he watched the rescue operation on Friday. |
| "They ordered all doors closed, no-one to enter or leave. I was trying to break the window with a dustbin because my mum and my sister were trapped inside but someone cocked a gun at me." | "They ordered all doors closed, no-one to enter or leave. I was trying to break the window with a dustbin because my mum and my sister were trapped inside but someone cocked a gun at me." |
| Nakumatt has denied that any doors were locked at the time of the blaze. | Nakumatt has denied that any doors were locked at the time of the blaze. |
| A company statement said the store "was fully fire safety compliant and had been installed with advanced fire and smoke detectors". | A company statement said the store "was fully fire safety compliant and had been installed with advanced fire and smoke detectors". |
| Survivor Jeremiah Omoyo, one of the store's 103 employees, told how he jumped off the roof to escape. | Survivor Jeremiah Omoyo, one of the store's 103 employees, told how he jumped off the roof to escape. |
| "The crowd below was telling us to jump," he told The Standard newspaper. | "The crowd below was telling us to jump," he told The Standard newspaper. |
| "I jumped, but cannot tell what happened to the others who were screaming behind me." | "I jumped, but cannot tell what happened to the others who were screaming behind me." |
| Kenyan media criticised the emergency services, saying the response was slow and inadequate. | Kenyan media criticised the emergency services, saying the response was slow and inadequate. |
| "A city like Nairobi with an estimated population of three million is served by one fire station situated close to the central business district where vehicular and pedestrian congestion is particularly heavy," the Daily Nation said. | "A city like Nairobi with an estimated population of three million is served by one fire station situated close to the central business district where vehicular and pedestrian congestion is particularly heavy," the Daily Nation said. |
| "It is fair to say that ours is a modern city with an 18th century fire-fighting infrastructure." | "It is fair to say that ours is a modern city with an 18th century fire-fighting infrastructure." |
| Prime Minister Raila Odinga - who is at the World Economic Forum in Davos - said the "fact that fire could gut down a business premise in a central place, a street from our fire headquarters... a stone's throw from a major hotel says a lot about our disaster preparedness", Reuters reported. | Prime Minister Raila Odinga - who is at the World Economic Forum in Davos - said the "fact that fire could gut down a business premise in a central place, a street from our fire headquarters... a stone's throw from a major hotel says a lot about our disaster preparedness", Reuters reported. |