A three-story building under construction collapsed near Olokoro Road in the Federal Low-Cost Housing Estate in Umuahia, Abia State, injuring seven people to varying degrees.
The catastrophe occurred at approximately 3 a.m. on Saturday and destroyed an adjacent home occupied by a family of seven.
According to an eyewitness, no lives were lost, but several individuals were seriously injured, including a nursing mother and her five-month-old infant. They were retrieved from the debris and transported to an unidentified hospital for treatment.
In an interview, a local resident, Ugwumba Shedrack, stated, “The building has been showing signs of collapse for too long.” This morning, about 3 a.m., we heard a big noise, and the building collapsed. I heard the building belongs to a politician; I’m not sure why he left it in that state.”
Mr. Kingsley Agomoh, General Manager of Umuahia Capital Development Authority, UCDA, reacted to the tragedy while evaluating the extent of damage, thanking God that no lives were lost in the incident and announcing the sealing of the three-story structure.
He stated that the agency has launched an inquiry to determine the reason for the collapse and that an appropriate penalty will be meted out to the owner in accordance with the law.
