FOUR persons have been rescued after an uncompleted four-storey building collapsed at Independence Layout, Enugu, on Sunday, while a fifth person was recovered from the rubble and taken to hospital for confirmation of his condition.
The developer’s representative has also been handed over to the police to assist investigations into the collapse, according to the Executive Chairman of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Agency (ECTDA), Barr. Uche Anya.
The building, which was under construction as an uncompleted hotel, collapsed in the early hours of Sunday, prompting residents and emergency responders to rush to the scene.
Anya said the incident involved what he described as a “recalcitrant developer” who failed to comply with building regulations.
He explained that the property had been approved in 2021, before the current administration, but said subsequent inspections by the agency revealed serious structural integrity concerns and non-compliance with the approved plans.
According to him, ECTDA had issued a stop-work order and sealed the site, with the sealing having remained in place for about six months.
“This property collapsed in the early hours of the morning. We arrived here around 6am. When we arrived, we met one of the securitymen, who said that six people slept in the uncompleted property, but one of them was not around when the incident occurred,” Anya said.
He said government emergency services subsequently commenced rescue operations, leading to the rescue of four people who were taken to hospital for treatment.
The ECTDA chairman added that the developer’s representative, whose principal was said to be living abroad, had been engaging the agency in recent weeks over efforts to remedy the situation.
“By the way, I have handed the representative to the police, not necessarily for detention, but to help with the investigation. But this is really a very unfortunate situation,” he said.
Also speaking, the Director of the Enugu State Fire Service, Engr. Okwudiri Oha, commended the swift response of the Red Cross, Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), ECTDA, Enugu State Ambulance Services, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
He said the mobilisation of rescue equipment, including bulldozers and excavators, contributed to the successful rescue of four persons.
“As a rescue officer, what we did was to ask the security man how many people are here. He said that there were supposed to be six. One person had left before it happened.
“So, we were able at that initial time to rescue four persons. Out of the four, two sustained minor injuries and they were all rushed to a health facility for proper checks.
“Then, as you have seen, we have been working. The last person we just recovered was the fifth person. It is when you get to a health facility that you know whether he is still alive,” Oha said.
The NEMA Information Officer in Enugu, Mr Ezeani Nnanyelugo, confirmed that six people were believed to have been on the site, although one had left before the collapse.
He said four people had been rescued and taken to hospital, where they were stabilised, while one body had been recovered from the rubble.
“Just not quite long ago, one body was recovered and it was taken to the hospital to confirm whether he was dead or alive,” Nnanyelugo said.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Chinasa Mbah, said rescue teams would continue excavating the entire wreckage to ensure that nobody remained trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
“We are going to excavate everything because you can see the machines that government brought. We will excavate everything to ensure no survivor or body is left,” she said.
