A woman and her 14-year-old daughter have died after an illegal three-storey building under construction collapsed onto their home in Okpoko, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The building reportedly collapsed at about 9:45pm on Wednesday at Anata Anaba, trapping the victims inside a neighbouring bungalow.
Other victims caught in the rubble were rescued by emergency responders and taken to hospital.
Residents said they heard loud cracking sounds from the building shortly before it came crashing down.
An eyewitness said the woman and her daughter were inside their apartment when the structure collapsed directly on them.
“Some other people who were also trapped in the rubble were later rescued and rushed to the hospital by an emergency response team that mobilised to the scene to evacuate victims,” the eyewitness said.
Residents also claimed concerns had earlier been raised over the suitability of the waterlogged land for a three-storey structure.
They alleged that an engineer initially engaged on the project had advised that the building should not exceed two floors because of the condition of the land.
According to them, the advice was ignored and another engineer was subsequently brought in to continue the project to three storeys.
The victims were identified as the landlady of the neighbouring bungalow and her youngest child.
Her son, Chimobi, said three members of the family were in the apartment when the building collapsed.
“I was outside at the time of the incident. But my mother and my sister were in the bedroom when the building collapsed directly on them, leaving them with no opportunity to escape,” he said.
He added that residents had previously warned the builder about the danger posed by the structure but their concerns were not heeded.
Anambra State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Chijioke Ojukwu, confirmed the incident after visiting the scene.
Ojukwu said the building was illegal and that authorities had previously issued a stop-work notice.
He blamed the collapse on negligence and the use of substandard construction materials.
“The structure was an illegal building and we had ordered its demolition and the land is going to be forfeited to the State government,” he said.
“We are investigating other unapproved buildings under construction in the area.”
The commissioner said the structure collapsed on the adjoining bungalow, killing the woman and her daughter.
He added that the government would intensify checks on other unapproved buildings under construction in the area.
- Media Report