Five people have been confirmed dead and 26 injured following the collapse of three buildings under construction at the Oduigbo section of Ochanja Market in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The incident occurred on Monday evening, trapping several people under the debris.
Report said three of the five buildings under construction crumbled, trapping people under the debris.
Emergency responders, including the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), have been working tirelessly since the collapse to locate and rescue survivors.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo visited the scene on Tuesday, offering condolences to the victims and their families.
Soludo condemned the incident, pledging to take action to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Governor Soludo recalled that he had instructed that no shop should be erected in any market in the state without the approval of the Physical Planning Board, and his signature.
He stressed that such an incident is part of the impunity his government is working hard to nip in the bud, cautioning developers against building without an approved plan.
Soludo blamed the carelessness of the contractor for building without an approved plan and announced that, after the search and rescue efforts, the contractor would be responsible for removing the rubble at their own expense and facing legal consequences.
He also pledged to work with relevant authorities to ensure that such an unfortunate incident never repeated itself, adding that his administration will take inventory of all the markets in the state while warning that similar ongoing illegal structures in Ose, Ogbo-Ogwu, among others, will be demolished.
Meanwhile, rescue efforts remain ongoing, with emergency responders still digging the rubble to extricate survivors and recover remains from the collapsed building.
Some injured individuals have been transported to nearby hospitals for treatment
