6-story building collapses in Nairobi; at least 4 killed

A six-story residential building collapsed Friday in Kenya's capital, officials said, with at least four people killed and others trapped in the debris.

The scene was all too familiar in a city where an audit once found more than half of buildings unsafe for habitation.

Associated Press video showed people cheering as one dust-covered person was carried away on a stretcher, arms outstretched. Shortly afterward the crowd hushed as another person was carried away but covered completely by a blanket. Workers listened for voices from the rubble.

Nairobi county police chief Philip Ndolo said 21 people had been rescued, with some searchers using their bare hands to pick through the debris. Eight people were taken to a hospital, Nairobi regional commissioner Wilson Njenga said.

"Tragedy has struck us again," public works official Gordon Kihalangwa said. "Some people have been trapped inside and we are doing our best to free them."