29 January 2018•Update: 29 January 2018
By Magdalene Mukami
Nairobi
Three people were reported dead and thousands forced to sleep out in the cold after an inferno gutted settlements belonging to residents of the Kijiji slums in the Lang'ata suburb of the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Sunday night.
Speaking to local media, the National Disaster Management Unit deputy director Pius Masai said that three people had been confirmed dead but added the number was likely to rise as others were still unaccounted for.
"Search-and-rescue operations are still ongoing, the bodies were discovered early this morning. Only one has been identified so far, we urge all those missing their relatives to report to the Lang'ata police station," he said.
The situation worsened in the night after firefighters battling the inferno ran out of water but they were later able to contain it.
The cause of the fire has yet to be established.
