Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Enugu
A four-storey building under construction has collapsed in Enugu, with one person feared dead while four others were rescued from the rubble.
Emergency workers, who rescued the victims, had early Sunday morning rushed to the site of the partially collapsed building said to be a hotel under construction at Independent Layout Enugu. Five persons had slept in the building.
Eye witnesses at the scene of the incident, said that more lives could have been lost if not for the regulatory interventions of the state government in sealing the site.
The Executive Chairman, Enugu Capital Territory Development Agency (ECTDA), Uche Anya, told journalists at the scene that the ugly incident was “a case of one of the recalcitrant developers who failed to comply with building codes”.
He said that ECTDA had taken regulatory action by sealing the site, which was approved in 2021.
“This property collapsed in the early hours of the morning. We arrived here around 6am. When we arrived, we met one of the securitymen, who said that six people slept in the uncompleted property, but one of them was not around when the incident occurred.
“So, the government emergency services arrived, and we started rescue operations. Four people, right now, are in the hospital receiving treatment as we speak. I believe there could be one more person in there, and that is why you see all this rescue effort ongoing,” he said.
Anya noted that the ill-fated property “was approved in 2021 before the advent of this administration. But usually, we have a habit of stocktaking, checking on every construction at every stage”.
He stated that he had before the incident “personally led the team that inspected (the property). We found out that there were serious integrity issues and non-compliance with their 2021 approval”.
According to the ECTDA boss, “I personally issued the first ‘stop work order,’ which, due to the violation, resulted in our sealing the place over the last six months”.
“So, I think within the last 30, 40 days, the representative of the owner, whom they say lives abroad, has been interfacing with us to remedy the situation. This is the process that we are still trying to interface on, and it came down,” he added.
Anya said: “I have handed the representative to the police, not necessarily for detention, but to help with the investigation. But this is really a very unfortunate situation.”
The Director, Enugu State Fire Service, Mr. Okwudiri Oha, commended the swift response by the Red Cross, Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), ECTDA, the Enugu State Ambulance Services, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
He said that the mobilisation of adequate rescue equipment, such as bulldozers and excavators, ensured the rescue of four persons, who were trapped in the collapsed building.
“As a rescue officer, what we did was to ask the security man how many people are here. He said that there were supposed to be six. One person had left before it happened.
“So, we were able at that initial time to rescue four persons. Out of the four, two sustained minor injuries and they were all rushed to a health facility for proper checks.
“Then, as you have seen, we have been working. The last person we just recovered was the fifth person. It is when you get to a health facility that you know whether he is still alive,” he stated.
NEMA Information Officer in Enugu, Mr. Ezeani Nnanyelugo, who confirmed the numbers, noted that the situation could have been worse but for the earlier sealing off of the site by the state government.
“When we came to the scene of the incident, we found out that there were a total of six persons that were supposed to be on the site. One person was not on the site as at the time of the incident, while the four others were rescued and taken to the hospital and have been stabilised.
“Just not quite long ago, one body was recovered and it was taken to the hospital to confirm whether he was dead or alive,” he said.
The Executive Secretary, SEMA, Chinasa Mbah, said whereas only five persons were said to be present at the time of the incident, the entire wreckage would be cut through and excavated to ensure that no one was left behind.
“We are going to excavate everything because you can see the machines that government brought. We will excavate everything to ensure no survivor or body is left,” she said.