1 killed, 4 injured as building collapses in Delta

At least one person has been confirmed dead, while four others sustained varying degrees of injury as a one-storey building collapsed following a thunderstorm in Asaba, the Delta State capital, TopNaija reports.

It was gathered that the building located behind the Police Officers’ Mess in Okwe, Oshimili South Local Government Area, collapsed around 5pm on Saturday.

The building, which belongs to 79-year-old Group Captain Sam Akariwa (retd), was still under construction and collapsed while workers were still on the site, leaving one person dead and four others injured.

The Director-General, Delta State Emergency Management Agency, Mr Daneil Okpor, said at the scene of the incident that the building collapsed as a result of structural defects.

He stated, “We got a call about a building collapse in Okwe this evening (Saturday) and we came here and discovered that the local government chairman had swung into action by mobilising everyone to rescue those trapped.

“We gathered that thunder accompanied by lightning struck and that made the building to collapse. That could play a role in the collapse, but the structural work of the building is very poor.

“Five persons were trapped and we were able to rescue all of them; they are now receiving treatment in hospital; only one person is confirmed dead. As we leave here, we are going to hospital to know the condition of the injured.”

The Chairman of the local government council, Mr Uche Osedebe, attributed the collapse of the building to structural defects and lack of professional expertise.

He said, “My observation here is that there is a structural defect and that led to the collapse of this building. People should always employ the services of professionals and get building approval before commencing development. From what I saw here, there was no building approval.

“Now, we have lost a soul and those who are in hospital, we don’t if they are going to survive because of the severity of the injuries they sustained.”