One person has been confirmed dead in a three-storey building that collapsed around Road B, Federal Housing Estate, Trans-Amadi Industrial Area of Dr. Peter Odili Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
It was gathered that two other victims were rescued alive and moved to the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), Port Harcourt, for treatment, while over five persons are suspected to still be trapped in the rubble of the building.
One of the construction workers who pleaded anonymity and who narrowly escaped the accident, said they were warned by the engineer handling the project that a particular section of the building would collapse.
“The engineer came here this morning and said this section of the building will collapse today. It wasn’t up to five minutes after the engineer left the site, the building collapsed. It didn’t collapse at once, it was gradual.
“One of the two workers who were taken to the hospital wouldn’t have been trapped if he had listened to us. We were calling him to come out but he refused. He thought we were calling him for another thing.
“Some Hausa boys who usually come around to pick firewood from the site are also trapped inside,” he said.
Speaking with journalists at the scene of the incident, the Permanent Secretary Designate, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr. Vincent Wachuku, said they are working tirelessly to ensure that all those who were still trapped there are rescued.
He said: “We are here at Peter Odili Road following disturbing news that a three-storey building collapsed around here. That is why we are here and you can see what is happening in the background. We got this information and as a health team, we had to quickly mobilise the ambulances and as much personnel as possible to come for the rescue.
“So far we have been able to rescue two persons that were severely injured and they have been rushed to Rivers State University Teaching Hospital. Of course, we have already activated the hospital and they are there waiting; the emergency medical services is there.
“Everybody is here, NEMA is here, FRSC is here, NSCDC is here. In fact, all the security agencies are here. All hands are on deck to ensure that people that are still trapped there are rescued.”
Earlier, there was a reported building collapse around Iwofe Road, Rumuolumeni in Obio/Akpor LGA of the state.
Also speaking on the incident, State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Amairigha Edward Hart, blamed the incident on substandard building materials used by the engineer. He also said that many people evade the original approved building plan for their own interests.
He regretted that within a space of 48 hours, two buildings were reported to have collapsed in the metropolitan area of the state.
Hart said: “Nearly 48 hours after a building collapsed at Iwofe in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, a report of the collapse of a three-storey building was received by me and thereafter the unfortunate incident as it occurred at Road B, Federal Housing Estate, Trans-Amadi Industrial Area of Dr. Peter Odili Road, Port Harcourt.
“The particular property was allocated by the Federal Housing Authority, which also approved the building plan for the developer. Officials of the ministry led by myself and other directors promptly visited the scene to support the rescue efforts and before leaving the scene two persons were rescued and have been taken to the hospital out of the rubble and one other person was also rescued but dead.
“The number of persons so far that were trapped in the rubble is yet to be ascertained. Inasmuch as we are there, we are getting conflicting figures. Some are saying four persons were trapped in there, others are saying about eight and all that, but since work is still ongoing, we believe that by the time they have been able to remove all the rubble we’ll be able to know exactly how many persons were trapped here.”
The commissioner said about five excavators were working at the scene of the incident and expressed the belief that with the five excavators they would be able to remove all the rubble and get to the bottom or basement of the building.
“Well, I’ll go further to state that the recent collapse of buildings calls for urgent review of the operations of the civil construction sector. There has to be a re-rationing of the synergy between the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and professional bodies involved in building construction.
“This will require tighter control of the approval processes to enable the elimination of quacks and use of substandard materials and personnel in building projects in addition to close and regular supervision by the Ministry.”
He attributed the incidents to “people not complying with approved building plans. Even when they comply, at times you realise that some of them, especially the engineers who are supervising and others, use substandard materials in carrying out this construction work.
“In addition to using substandard materials, when a building plan is being approved, for instance approval is given for a two-storey building or three-storey building, you will discover that the developers will exceed that. Instead of keeping to the approved plans, they will end up exceeding that by their own decision, failing to take into consideration the load of the building as designed,” Hart added.
Blessing Ibunge
