A five-story structure collapsed on Sunday morning in Garden Street Fegge, Onitsha, Anambra State, less than two weeks after a building collapsed at the Oduigbo part of the Ochanja market, Onitsha.
Confirming the event, Anambra State Physical Planning Board Chairman Chike Mmaduekwe bemoaned the turn of events and thanked God that no lives were lost because the collapse was just partial.
He did, however, reveal that although a three-story structure had been approved, the developer had started construction on a five-story building instead of according to the original plan.
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After construction was finished, the building was supposed to have a commercial use.
In order to start clearing the debris and perhaps performing a victim rescue, an excavator had already been sent to the scene.
Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, has issued a warning to developers, advising them to follow the construction terms carefully in order to prevent any loss of life or property.
He had commanded that all structures constructed in the state without permits be razed, and this crumbling building would not be an exception because the developer had been repeatedly served with warnings of violation but was unyielding.
As of Sunday night, when this report was filed, the cause of the collapse was still unknown, although it was discovered that one person had been saved during rescue efforts operations were still ongoing to locate other trapped victims from the rubble.
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DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, the spokesperson for the state police, verified the occurrence and stated that security personnel had already arrived on the scene to oversee the rescue effort when informed about the development.
Chinyere Nworah, the public relations officer for the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency, was unreachable because she did not answer calls or messages left on her phone.
Rescue efforts were still in progress at the scene at the time this article was filed, and an official death toll has not yet been determined.
This regrettable event highlights how urgent it is to enforce building codes and guarantee the security of development projects. The neighbourhood is on guard as investigations take shape, hoping for a prompt conclusion to stop more damage.
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