A three-storey building under construction collapsed Thursday morning in Awka, Anambra State, leaving several people trapped beneath the rubble.
The incident occurred at about 11:40 a.m. behind the Anambra State House of Assembly, off Ekwueme Square in Okpuno.
Eyewitnesses said artisans were working on the roof when the structure suddenly gave way, sparking panic in the area. The building, which had reached the roofing stage, reportedly collapsed without warning.
Preliminary investigations by officials of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and the state’s materials testing department suggested that poor concrete mixture and possible foundation defects may have caused the failure.
Chairman of COREN-ERM in Anambra State, Victor Meju, described the incident as a “vertically complete collapse to the rubble,” confirming that the structure was a private development that had only been roofed last week.
Rescue efforts were hampered by the absence of excavators and other heavy equipment, forcing bystanders and passersby to attempt makeshift interventions to save the trapped victims.
State agencies, including the Ministry of Housing and the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority, have since been deployed to the site to support rescue operations.
