Three-storey building collapses in Rivers, injures seven

A three-storey building under construction at Aboga along the Igwuruta-Etche road in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State collapsed on Saturday, injuring seven persons.

The incident, which occurred around 1:30 pm, is the fourth building collapse in the state within three months.

Eyewitnesses said that although no lives were lost, seven out of nine workers who were on the site were rescued with various degrees of injuries.

According to eyewitnesses, the building collapsed while construction work was ongoing.

“Getting here, I saw the building collapsing, while some of the workers were able to jump out, others could not as the building collapsed on them,” one eyewitness said.

A second eyewitness added, “I heard a loud sound while I was in the house. When I rushed out, I saw the building collapsing. Some persons from this area and passersby started using axes to break through the debris to rescue the victims before the government and police came to join the rescue effort.”

The rescue operation was made possible by the joint effort of people from the neighborhood, the authority of Ikwerre Local Government Area, and officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, as well as the Ministry of Special Duties.

Excavators, fire trucks, and ambulances were deployed to ensure the timely rescue of the victims, some of whom were trapped in the rubble.

A statement signed by Emeka Idika Kalu, Special Adviser on Media/Publicity to the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, noted that the Commissioner, Evans Bipi, who spoke to newsmen at the scene of the incident, attributed the collapse to the use of substandard materials by the developer.

“It is unfortunate that we are beginning the year with this tragic incident, though no lives were lost. This is the fourth building collapse we are witnessing in the state since I assumed office,” Bipi said.

“Preliminary investigation at the scene of the incident shows that the building may have collapsed due to the use of substandard materials by the builder.

“Specifically, the use of 12mm rods for decking a building is a clear violation of construction standards. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, as similar cases of building collapses in the state have been linked to the same cause—the use of inferior materials.”

Bipi also accused the developer of building without a government-approved building plan. He said the Ministry has sealed the property pending investigation into the cause of the building collapse and has asked the property owner to report to the Ministry for investigation.

“As a government, we are not happy with the repeated causes of building collapse in the state that have claimed lives, injured several persons, and caused avoidable damages and losses to developers in the state.

“Let me warn that we will no longer condone a situation where some builders will continue to violate the building code, including building without government-approved building plans and compromising safety standards by using substandard materials in a bid to save cost,” Bipi further stated.