VIDEO: RIVERS BUILDING COLLAPSE LEAVES ONE FEARED DEAD, OTHERS TRAPPED

Read Time:1 Minute, 41 Second

By; Ganiyat Sunmola

One person is feared dead and several others remain trapped after a three-storey building under construction collapsed on Wednesday along Peter Odili Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The building, located in one of the city’s upscale areas, suddenly gave way, leaving construction workers buried beneath the rubble. While the exact cause of the collapse has yet to be determined, eyewitnesses suspect structural defects may have contributed to the incident.

Rescue workers have since recovered the body of an unidentified victim from the debris, while efforts continue to locate and rescue others believed to be trapped.

The ongoing rescue operation is being coordinated by the Rivers State Government in collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

A survivor identified simply as Taiwo said about eight workers were at the site when the building collapsed. He disclosed that his brother was among those trapped and added that four people had been rescued alive as of Wednesday afternoon.

According to him, several workers, including some of northern extraction, were inside the structure when it suddenly caved in.

Security operatives and officials from the Rivers State Ministry of Urban Development and Physical Planning, as well as the Ministry of Health, were present at the scene to support the rescue efforts.

Speaking to journalists, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Director of Medical Services, Dr. Vincent Wachukwu, said emergency response teams were immediately deployed after authorities received reports of the collapse.

He noted that ambulances and medical personnel were mobilised to the site, adding that two severely injured victims had been rescued and rushed to the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital for treatment.

Wachukwu assured that emergency services remained fully activated as rescue teams continued searching for those still trapped beneath the rubble.

Watch video here…