Several people have been injured by a freight train that crashed into homes in the Nairobi slum of Kibera.
The train derailed while passing through the slum – one of Africa’s largest – on its way to Uganda.
There were fears that scores of people could be trapped in their homes.
But as the rescue effort got under way, local people suggested that many not have been in their homes – having either left for church or gone back to their villages for Christmas.
At least six people have so far been taken to hospital, Transport Minister Joseph Kamau told reporters at the scene.
The fire department confirmed this. Spokesman Johnson Mia said: “Most of them were crying out from the structures that were crushed and they couldn’t move, but we managed to dig out and rescue them.”
Teams from the Red Cross and St John Ambulance have been helping with the rescue effort.
Residents were reportedly angry at the slow pace of the rescue effort.
Isaac Ongiri from the Daily Nation newspaper said police were trying to find a way of getting rescue equipment into place to help reach the trapped people.
But he told the BBC: “Navigating through the shanties to get to the scene is difficult.”
Other reports suggested that large crowds at the scene were also hampering rescue efforts.
There are also reports that a tank containing flammable fuel is leaking on to the tracks.
Kibera is estimated to have a population of around 250,000.
Mr Kamau said residents had long been warned not to put up houses next to the railway line.
“We have always warned people against encroaching on the line,” he was quoted as saying.
BBC