Nnewi—A man identified as Chizoba Aniefuna and his two sons have lost their lives following the collapse of their one-story building in Egbu Umuenem, Otolo Nnewi, Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
A relation of the man, who was also trapped in the building, which was still under construction, and whose name was not immediately given, was rescued and rushed to St. Felix Hospital, Nnewi, where he is receiving treatment.
Officials of the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN, and Transition Committee Chairman of Nnewi North Council, Mr. Chris Obiora, have visited the scene.
Manual labourers were already at the scene on a rescue mission as the excavator brought to rescue the victims broke down at the site.
Addressing journalists after the dead bodies were brought out from the debris, Anambra State Chairman of COREN, Victor Meju, attributed the incident to poor foundation, poor concrete mixture, poor quality of materials, poor wearing cost capacity, non-conformity with standards and nonapproval from relevant regulatory authorities.
Describing the incident as an avoidable tragedy, Meju directed the cordoning off of the site, adding that the owner of the building, Mr. Chukwunafu Anamanjo, would be invited for questioning to aid the investigation.
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Transition Committee Chairman of Nnewi North, Obiora, on his part, urged the people to always make use of certified engineers and other relevant personnel in the building sector, noting that monitoring teams were also important to ensure that the standards were strictly adhered to.
