Nairobi  - The Kenya Red Cross on Thursday said it had pulled 16 bodies from the rubble of a collapsed building near the capital Nairobi as it called off rescue operations.

A five-storey building under construction in the town of Kiambu collapsed on Monday, trapping dozens of construction workers inside.

"After three days of operations, a joint team of rescue workers managed to rescue 16 people alive and recovered 16 bodies," the Kenya Red Cross said in a statement on its website.

"(The) Kenya Red Cross Society is making every effort to trace nine people whose names were submitted by relatives as missing after the collapse."

Witnesses said a crack - accompanied by a loud bang - appeared in the building before it collapsed, although there has been no official explanation for the accident.

Building collapses are not uncommon in Kenya, as contractors cut corners to keep up with a construction boom in and around the capital.

A six-storey building crumbled in downtown Nairobi in 2006, claiming the lives of 14 people and injuring over 100. (dpa)