A three-storey building with four suspended floors located behind the Anambra State House of Assembly, off Ekwueme Square, Okpuno Awka, the Anambra State capital, on Thursday, collapsed, leaving many in panic.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the building, still under construction and at the roofing stage, suddenly caved in at about 11:40am.
The development threw residents and passers-by into panic as it was feared that some yet-to-be-identified number of occupants, especially construction workers, were trapped in the rubble.
Eyewitnesses near the scene said the structure suddenly caved in without any prior sign, adding that the number of workers and other occupants trapped could not be ascertained yet.
The cause of the collapse and casualty figure had yet to be ascertained, but some officials from the state Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria and the material testing department were already on the ground to ascertain the cause of the collapse, as of the time of writing this report.
Our correspondent, who visited the scene of the collapse, observed that the area had been sealed as some bystanders and passers-by initiated rescue efforts to see if anyone trapped could be rescued.
It was a chaotic situation at the scene as the rescue efforts were being hampered by a lack of logistics and other necessary equipment like excavators.
One of the eyewitnesses at the scene said, “The building collapsed this morning (Thursday) as some artisans were carrying out some construction works on the roof of the structure.
“The building made some noise as it was collapsing while some construction workers were at the site. No one can say the cause of the collapse for now, but some government officials arrived on the scene shortly after, but rescue efforts have not begun as they said they were waiting for the excavators to arrive.”
The Chairman, COREN-ERM Anambra State, Sir Victor Meju, said, “It is a three-storey building with four suspended floors still under construction at its roofing stage. It is a private building. It was gathered that the structure was roofed last Thursday.
“An on-site preliminary investigation revealed that it was a vertically complete collapse to the rubble. On-site preliminary investigation also revealed that the collapse occurred as a result of the poor concrete mixture and a likely foundation problem.
“The relevant agencies, such as the Ministry of Housing and the Awka Capital Territory Development Association, have been notified, and they are on the ground to monitor and offer rescue operations.”
When contacted on the development, the spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said he was not aware, but promised to make enquiries and get back.
However, the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority confirmed the development, but insisted no one was trapped and that no life was lost in the incident.
The Head of the Media Unit of the association, Ukpa Ewa, in a press statement issued, said, “While preliminary checks are ongoing, our officers on the ground have so far found no evidence to suggest that anyone was trapped.
“We urge the public to remain calm and refrain from spreading unverified information, as such actions create unnecessary panic and undermine public confidence.
“ACTDA remains committed to enforcing strict compliance with building standards and will continue to monitor developments within the Awka Capital Territory.”
PUNCH.
