No fewer than seven persons escaped death at the weekend when a three-storey building, which is under construction, collapsed at Aboga community along Igwurita-Etche Road in Ikwerre local government area of Rivers State.
The latest incident, which recorded no loss of life, is the fourth to occur in the state within the past three months.
Eyewitnesses told journalists at the scene of the incident that the building collapsed at about 1:30 pm on Saturday when construction work was going on, with most of the workers severely injured.
One of the eyewitnesses said: “Getting here, I saw the building collapsing; while some of the workers were able to jump out, others could not as the building collapsed on them.
“They were able to rescue everybody, but many were injured. The last person was rescued towards the night with serious injuries, and he was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.”
Another eyewitness said: “I heard a loud sound while I was in the house; when I rushed out, I saw the building collapsing. Some persons from this area and passersby started using axes to break through the debris to rescue the victims before the government and police came to join the rescue effort.”
LEADERSHIP observed that the rescue was made possible by the joint effort of people from the neighbourhood, the authority of Ikwerre local government area and officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development as well as the Ministry of Special Duties who deployed excavators, a fire truck and an ambulance to ensure timely rescue of the victims some of whom were trapped in the rubble.
Speaking to journalists at the incident scene, the state commissioner for physical planning and urban development, Rt. Hon. Evans Bipi said it was unfortunate to begin the new year with an incident of building collapse.
Bipi attributed the incident to the developer’s use of substandard materials, saying, “It is unfortunate that we are beginning the year with this tragic incident, though no life was lost.
“This is the fourth building collapse we have witnessed in the State since I assumed office. Preliminary investigation at the scene of the incident shows that the building may have collapsed due to the use of substandard materials by the builder.
“Specifically, the use of 12mm rods for decking a building is a clear violation of construction standards. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, as similar cases of building collapse in the state have been linked to the same cause – the use of inferior materials.”
The commissioner accused the developer of building without a government-approved building plan, pointing out that the ministry has sealed the property pending an investigation into the cause of the building collapse.
Bipi has, therefore, asked the property owner to report to the ministry for investigation.
He said: “As a government, we are not happy with the repeated causes of building collapse in the State that has claimed life, injured several persons, and caused avoidable damages and losses to developers in the state.
“Let me warn that we will no longer condone a situation in which some builders continue to violate the building code, including building without a government-approved building plan and compromising safety standards by using substandard materials to save costs.”