A two-story building under construction fell in Umuoma village, Umuoji, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra State, sparking alarm among inhabitants and passers-by.
According to reports, some construction workers at the site narrowly escaped death on Monday evening when the structure began to cave in due to loud cracking sounds coming from the walls.
When our correspondent visited the area on Wednesday, he noticed that the building, which was supposedly planned to function as a hotel, had skewed dangerously to opposite sides after partially collapsing.
A local who identified himself only as Uzor said more than 20 workers were on the second story of the structure when it abruptly caved in.
“Prior to the collapse, more than 20 workers were seen busy working at various sections of the building. But hours later, at about 5pm, the structure started caving in following loud cracks from the second floor, but luckily among the workers, nobody was trapped as they jumped down one after another.
“The structure still under construction is designed to be a three-story building and to be used for hotel business. It caved in such a way that both sides are now slanting in various directions from the top, and it’s posing danger.
“The fortunate thing is that nobody was trapped in the structure. The speed at which the structure is being constructed and following heavy rainfalls might have contributed to the collapse,” he said.
Another resident, Amaka, attributed the collapse to hasty construction work and the likely use of poor materials.
“How can you be putting blocks on top of the ones that have not dried, and you know this is rainy season? And most of these iron rods we have today are mostly inferior and are not meant for story buildings like this.
“Some government officials visited the place on Tuesday and sealed the premises so that it will not cause further danger. Although the structure is still slanting and posing danger. A thorough investigation should be conducted to ascertain the cause of the collapse,” she said.
Our correspondent noticed that the premises had been locked and roped off with barriers and tape after authorities from the state’s urban and town planning department inspected the location on Tuesday.
One of the officials on the scene, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to talk publicly, stated that investigations had begun to investigate the reason of the collapse and whether proper approvals and building regulations were followed.
“The premises were sealed off pending investigation. As you can see, it is now slanting towards different directions and posing danger. Preliminary reports gathered indicated multiple damages.
“Authorities would move swiftly to establish how the structure failed and whether regulatory procedures were ignored or not. And also whether the building has approval.
“From the report we got, the building caved in while some construction workers were on site. Fortunately, no life was lost. The Urban and Town Union Planning had already taken steps to seal off the property while further enforcement measures were underway,” the official said.
SP Tochukwu Ikenga, spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, confirmed the occurrence but said specifics remained unclear.
“Yes, it’s true, but details are still sketchy. I’ll get back to you when I have the full information,” he said.
