Father, two sons killed as three-storey building collapses in Anambra

 

A father and his two sons were killed when a three-story building collapsed in Egbu Umuenem, Otolo Nnewi, a community in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The incident happened at about 1 a.m. on Sunday, Punch reported . 

The building, still under construction, collapsed while some workers were getting ready to start plastering work on it.

The victims, said to be among those to carry out work on the structure, were instantly killed in the incident while others sustained varying degrees of injuries.

A witness told the newspaper that some other people who were also trapped in the rubble were later rescued and rushed to St. Felix Hospital, Nnewi.

“The man and his two children came from Nimo Community and were sleeping over so as to begin their work early in the morning before the incident happened,” the witness said.

Some officials of the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Anambra State Chapter, led by its Chairperson, Victor Meju, have visited the scene of the incident.

The Chairperson of the Nnewi North Council Area, Chris Obiora, was among those who visited the scene.

The delegation broke down in tears when the excavator exhumed the bodies of the victims.

Addressing reporters, shortly after the exhumation, the COREN chairperson, Mr Meju explained that “poor foundation, poor concrete mixture, poor quality of materials, poor wearing cost capacity, nonconformity to standards, non-approval from relevant regulatory authorities led to the avoidable tragedy”.

He announced the sealing-off of the site, adding that the owner of the building, Chukwunafu Anamanjo, will be invited for questioning and investigation.

The chairperson of the council area, Mr. Obiora, urged the people of the state to always rely on certified engineers and other professionals in the building sector for their construction works.

He added that monitoring teams are also important in ensuring that builders stick to stipulated standards.

The Sectoral Head of the COREN in charge of Nnewi and its environs, Arinze Okwuosa, said his team observed a lot of foul plays in the course of carrying out their job, calling for government intervention to forestall future occurrences.

The bodies of the victims have been deposited at a morgue in Nnewi.