A woman and her 14-year-old daughter have lost their lives after a three-storey building under construction collapsed at Anata Anaba, Okpoko, in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State
The incident occurred at about 9:45 pm on Wednesday, trapping the mother and her daughter inside their apartment in a neighbouring bungalow.
Eyewitnesses said the building made a loud noise, with its walls reportedly cracking before the structure came crashing down, throwing residents into panic.
Some other people trapped in the rubble were rescued by emergency responders and taken to hospital, according to residents.
“The woman and her daughter were in their apartment in a nearby bungalow when the three-storey building collapsed and trapped them. Before the building caved in, it made a loud noise as the walls started making cracking noises before falling one after the other.
“Some other people who were also trapped in the rubble were later rescued and rushed to the hospital by an emergency response team that mobilised to the scene to evacuate victims,” an eyewitness said.
Some residents said they had raised concerns about the construction, arguing that the waterlogged nature of the land made it unsuitable for a three-storey building.
They claimed that the engineer who initially handled the project had advised the builder to limit the structure to two floors because of the ground conditions, but the recommendation was ignored.
According to the residents, another engineer was later engaged to continue the project to three storeys.
The collapse k!lled the landlady of the neighbouring bungalow and her youngest child.
The woman’s son, identified as Chimobi, said three members of the family were in the apartment when the building came down.
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