A building collapse at Egbu Umuenem, Otolo Nnewi, Nnewi, in North Local Government Area of Anambra State has claimed three lives. One of them was simply identified as Aniefuna and the building is said to be a storey building with pent house.
A relative of the builder was also said to have been trapped in the building which is said to be still under construction but was later rescued and rushed to an unidentified hospital in Nnewi, Igbere TV can confirm.
As at the time officials of the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN and the Transition Committee Chairman of Nnewi North LGA, Engr. Chris Obiora, arrived the scene, manual labourers were seen on rescue mission as the excavator brought to rescue the victims broke down at the scene.
Addressing newsmen after the dead bodies were brought out from the debris, the Anambra State Chairman of COREN, Engr. Victor Meju, explained that poor foundation, poor concrete mixture, poor quality of materials, poor wearing cost capacity, nonconformity to standard, non approval from relevant regulatory authorities, were factors that could lead to building collapse.
Meju disclosed that the collapsed building side has been seal-off, adding that the owner of the building will be invited for questioning to aid investigation on the cause of the collapse.
Also speaking at the scene, Transition Committee Chairman of Nnewi North LGA, Engr. Obiora called on builders to always make use of certified Engineers and other relevant personnel in the building sector, for their projects, adding that monitoring teams are also important in ensuring that builders sticks to standard.
“I cannot categorically say what caused the collapse, but the relevant authorities are collaborating to unravel what led to the incident.”
