By Taiwo Ajayi.
A section of a storey building under construction in Asaba, Delta State collapsed on Thursday, injuring eight people.
The building, situated opposite ShopRite in the state capital, collapsed around 5pm, as workers were working on the site.
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An eyewitness, who identified herself as Onyinye Okei, said she and others selling outside the premises were surprised when they suddenly heard a crashing sound.
“We rushed to the scene and saw that a section of the building had collapsed,” she said. “There were several people trapped under the debris, and we helped to rescue them.”
Eight people were injured in the collapse and were taken to the hospital for treatment. There were no fatalities.
The state Commissioner for Urban Renewal, Mr. Michael Anoka, said the incident was due to a building defect.
“The ministry is still investigating,” he said. “The government is already taking measures and as you can see, the compound has been sealed. After our investigation, we will come up with a report of what happened here today.”
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Anoka urged the public to remain calm, saying that the government is taking steps to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
“Everybody should be calm, the government has already started measures before this incident today,” he said. “We are trying to put up a process that we will be able to avoid such situations.”
In recent years, there have been several high-profile collapses, including the collapse of a 21-storey building in Lagos in 2019 that killed at least 40 people.
The government has vowed to take steps to prevent further collapses, but experts say more needs to be done to ensure the safety of buildings in Nigeria.
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