By Justina Odimegwu
No fewer than three persons were confirmed dead in Anambra State on Sunday following the collapse of a-three-storey building under construction in the Nnewi area of the state.
Witnesses said the incident occurred at Egbu Umuenem, Otolo Nnewi community, Nnewi North Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, adding that the building collapsed at about 1pm, when the workers were said to be preparing to start plastering work on it.
It was learnt that that the deceased which were a man and his two children had reported for the day’s job at the building site when they incident occurred and they were killed instantly.
They were said to have been rushed to St. Felix Hospital, Nnewi, where they were confirmed dead.
Newsreportersng.com also learnt that other workers, who were rescued from the rubbles, sustained varying degrees of injuries and were taken to the hospital for treatment.
The Chairman, Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Anambra Chapter, Mr Victor Meju, led some state officials of the council to the scene of the incident and blamed the incident on poor foundation, concrete mixture and quality of materials as well as the non approval by relevant regulatory authorities.
He said that the building would be sealed off and the owner, Mr Chukwunafu Anamanjo, invited for questioning and investigation.
Also, the Transition Committee Chairman, Nnewi North LGA, Mr Chris Obiora, has called on residents of the area to always make use of certified engineers and other relevant personnel in the building sector for their construction works.
Obiora further said that monitoring teams were also important in ensuring that builders stick to stipulated standards.
When contacted for comments on the disaster, the state Police Command Spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the command had yet to receive information about the incident.
“I don’t have any information on it yet, but I will escalate the information to the Divisional Police Officer in the area for necessary action,” Ikenga said.
