NAIROBI, Kenya, May 3 (UPI) — A 6-month-old girl has been rescued four days after a building collapsed in flooding in Kenya that killed at least 23 people, officials said Tuesday.
Dealeryn Saisa Wasike showed “no visible physical injuries,” according to the Kenya Red Cross.
She was reunited with her father, who told reporters he was thankful the rescuers found her.
“Through their efforts, through their patience, through their hearts that are human, that’s why people like us, we can smile,” Ralson Saisi Wasike said. “I’m very sorry and I feel so too because we have some other people who have not yet found their [relatives].”
The child, whose mother is still missing, was found wrapped in a blanket. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment, including for dehydration.
The building collapsed Friday after several days of heavy rain and flooding in Nairobi’s eastern suburb of Huruma. Besides the dead, 96 people are still missing, according to Kenya Red Cross.
The Red Cross’ Anthony Mwangi told NBC News that the discovery gives hope of finding other survivors.
“We hope there are more people trapped, maybe in pockets under the rubble,” he told NBC News. “The search-and-rescue operation will not be called off until it is determined that none of those missing can be found alive.”
The building had been scheduled for demolition.
The building’s owner, Samuel Karanja Kamau was arrested Monday. Officials say he did not have permission to rent out the building’s 119 rooms.
Dr. Ian MacOnachie told the BBC that babies can survive this long because up to 90 percent of their bodies are made up of water, acting as a “natural storage” in cases of dehydration.
