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Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Tragedy struck at the Anwai campus of Delta State University (DELSU), near Asaba, where a middle-aged construction worker died when a concrete slab caved-in at a lecture hall under construction.
Three other persons sustained injuries in the accident.
One of the workers was said to have stepped on a concrete slab that had not dried leading to the collapse of the section on the unidentified worker who was scooping sand beneath.
He died immediately as a result of the impact of the concrete slab on him.
Following the collapse, students, lecturers, and other varsity workers were said to have scampered for safety, a development that temporarily halted academic activities.
The students of the university were said to be mobilising for a spontaneous protest when they discovered that it was a building collapse, but were promptly dissuaded by a concerted effort of anti-riot policemen drafted to the campus to maintain law and order.
Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare who visited the scene, lamented the death of the worker and the injured.
According to the commissioner, the family of the deceased victim has been contacted while the injured ones have been rushed to the hospital.
Muoboghare explained that the “workers were setting up a concrete slab. It was not dried before one worker mistakenly stepped on it while carrying a load.
“You know when you are setting blocks, it must be allowed to age; the concrete must be dried. This had nothing to do with the integrity of the building, as the building is intact.”
