From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
No fewer than three building workers were trapped after a five-storey building collapsed at the Dennis Memorial Grammar School (DMGS), Onitsha, Anambra State.
The five-storey building under construction, which was at its finishing stage, collapsed at the early hours of June 12, 2024.
The combined rescue team from the Anambra State Fire Service, local government officials, and the Nigeria Red Cross Society were doing their best to rescue the trapped workers who were still speaking from the debris. As of the time of this report, one of the trapped workers had been rescued alive and rushed to the hospital for medical attention.
The rescue workers used an excavator to bring out iron and debris, under the watch of security operatives, COREN task force and officials of the Anambra State Physical Board, led by its MD, Chief Chike Madukwe, and other state government agencies.
The Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Onyekachi Ibezim, who visited the site, called for calm and assured that those trapped would be rescued alive. He ordered more excavators and water tankers at the site to reduce the intensity of the scorching sun. Ibezim commended the effort of the rescue team for their prompt intervention and urged them to sustain the zeal to rescue those trapped.
The Chairman, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Technical/Expatriate Committee of Anambra State, Mr. Victor Metu, an engineer, who was at the site of the collapsed building, said the team of engineers handling the project were qualified and registered engineers.
He said the cause of the building collapse might be substandard materials, stressing that until full investigation and analysis are concluded, the society cannot ascertain the main cause of the collapse. At the time of this report, efforts were ongoing to rescue the trapped workers.