₦airaland Forum

Rescue and emergency workers in Enugu, on Sunday, rescued four persons trapped in a partially collapsed uncompleted hotel construction site, while one person is feared dead.

The four-storey building situated at Independence Layout, Enugu, was said to have collapsed early on Sunday morning, a development residents, who rushed to the scene, said could have been worse but for the regulatory interventions of the state government in sealing the site.

Speaking to newsmen at the site, the Executive Chairman, Enugu Capital Territory Development Agency (ECTDA), Barr. Uche Anya, said it was a case of one of the recalcitrant developers who failed to comply with building codes.

Anya said 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.

“Meanwhile, this 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. When I personally led the team that inspected here, we found out that there were serious integrity issues and non-compliance with their 2021 approval.

“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.

“By the way, 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,” he explained.

Also speaking to reporters, the Director, Enugu State Fire Service, Engr. 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, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the mobilisation of adequate rescue equipment such as bulldozers and excavators, which ensured the rescue of four persons.

“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 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.

Oluwatobiloba07:
the rate at which building collapse this days is alarming

Oluwatobiloba07:
the rate at which building collapse this days is alarming

omenka:
Watch out ladies and gentlemen, Gringori will say NOTHING about this. His antennae are activated only when tragedy strikes elsewhere.

May Gringori never happen to Nigeria.

Tabithatim:
Four rescued, one feared dead as uncompleted building collapses in Enugu

_..Developer’s representative in police custody



Source

Sleekfingers:
Most engineers now in Nigeria are complete olodo .

Even Baba Mulika wey no good school, will do better job than them.

GerogeI:
Even if the Engineer is not quack, go to market and see the new size of 12mm and 10mm iron rods for rebars. They passed through customs and SON. Will you manufacture your own rebars just to build a house.

Go to electrical, aluminium wires are now being painted with copper and sold as copper wires. Not even the usual impure copper.

That's what happens when a man devalues the currency for every one because he knows best, without any proper educations on economics.

bassdow:
I don't need be there to tell you this ain't the issue.

Those in charge fit thief 30 bags of cement out of 50 bags of cement, then manage the rest. That's if you decides to pay directly to the cement company Ooo.

I know those that would carry more than 30% of iron rods that was bought personally by owner for decking then had to manage what's left.

cenaman:
Developers are minimizing and endangering peoples lives due to high cost of materials.