Many escape death as 4 persons were rescued from a collapsed building in Anambra

Twenty persons escaped death while four others were rescued when two separate storey buildings collapsed in various locations in Anambra state Tuesday night.

The two buildings were located in Amikwo village, Awka South Local government area, and Oko in Orumba North Government Area of the state.

Four persons were reportedly trapped inside the debris in the Oko building but were rescued with injuries, while about 20 persons reportedly escaped death in that of Amikwo.

According to eyewitnesses who preferred anonymity, the Amikwo building collapsed at about 2am, falling on part of an occupied nearby two storey building. No life was lost in the incident.

When our reporters visited the scenes today, the building had been sealed by officials of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA).

Reacting, Managing Director, ACTDA, Ven Amaechi Okwuosa revealed that the building has been under construction for the past ten years and was marked for demolition in 2018.

“Although the developer had commenced demolition of the building, the right equipment was not used, hence the collapse,” he said.

Okwuosa pledged the agency’s commitment to ensuring the structural integrity of buildings done in the state capital territory.

Contacted on the Oko incident, Executive Chairman of Anambra Physical Planning Board, Barrister Chike Maduekwe, blamed the incident on a compromise on structural integrity.

He said the structure had since been sealed, while development partners had been invited for questioning.