Two survivors of the Eastleigh building collapse have recounted how they endured more than 30 hours trapped beneath concrete and debris, relying on prayer, water and encouragement to stay alive.
Speaking in an interview on Sunday, October 25, 2026, Zainab Mohammed described how she found herself trapped in a tiny space between two refrigerators after the 18-storey building collapsed on Friday afternoon.
Zainab trapped between two refrigerators
Zainab was inside her ground-floor shop when she heard loud noises, which she initially thought were caused by people fighting nearby.
She soon realised that the building she was in was collapsing, leaving her surrounded by concrete and rocks with no clear way out.
“All sides were blocked by stones. Above me were stones, and on the sides were stones. There was nowhere to get out,” she recounted in Swahili.
With no escape route, Zainab said she turned to prayer as she waited for help.
“I was just praying to my God, if He wants to take me, let Him take me slowly,” she said.
Her husband, Sultan, had left the shop to go to a mosque for prayers shortly before the building came down.
When he returned, the building had collapsed. After waiting in anguish, he went back to the mosque to pray for his wife’s rescue.
Zainab was eventually pulled out alive on Saturday evening, more than 30 hours after the collapse.
Victor and Zainab encouraged each other
Victor Onyango, who was the first one to be rescued, also narrated how the two encouraged each other as they waited to be rescued.
Victor, who was rescued before Zainab, said he drew strength from their conversations while they remained trapped beneath the rubble.
“We talked about this until morning. She was the one giving me strength. Little by little, we encouraged each other and told each other that there is God,” he said.
Victor said he eventually saw a small light, which gave him hope that rescuers were getting closer.
He also described how he struggled with thirst and initially considered drinking his own urine before discovering water and soda in a refrigerator.
“Before I drank, I said, ‘Thank you, God.’ Then I took out soda and water, poured some on my head and drank little by little,” he said.
Victor later called out to Zainab after hearing her crying nearby. When he learnt that she had a large refrigerator close to her, he encouraged her to find water and drink it to maintain her strength.
Their communication became an important source of encouragement as they waited for rescue teams to reach them.e.
