Two people rescued from Eastleigh building rubble as search continues

The survivors have been rushed to hospital as the search continues for more people believed to be trapped beneath the debris. 

After 27 hours beneath the rubble, rescue teams finally made a breakthrough, pulling a man out alive who was appearing weak; he was rushed for first aid and further medical attention.

A few hours later, just minutes before 7 pm, the rescue teams made another breakthrough, pulling out a woman alive to the relief of her husband and relatives who had been holding on to hope that she would be found alive

The rescue of the two has renewed hope for families still waiting anxiously for their loved ones, believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.

The official number of people unaccounted for stands at seven, although the Kenya Red Cross says it has received reports of 31 missing persons.

"We are continuing to get in touch with the families to ascertain the number..we are still doing contact tracing," said Red Cross disaster officer Vincent Ochieng.

The operation, which had appeared to move slowly, gathered pace as rescue teams devised new ways of accessing the debris from below, where more victims are believed to be trapped. Two additional excavators were deployed to speed up the operation and improve the chances of rescuing more survivors.

"We are summoning more equipment to hasten the process," Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said.

Despite the urgency, the rescue teams are proceeding with extreme caution to avoid further endangering the lives of those they are trying to save.

It is now more than 30 hours since the building came tumbling down. On the second night, rescue and disaster response teams are racing against time to save those still trapped beneath the rubble, as they carefully navigate the delicate operation.