A three-storey building with four suspended floors under construction collapsed on Thursday morning behind the Anambra State House of Assembly, off Ekwueme Square in Okpuno Awka, the state capital
The structure, which was at the roofing stage, reportedly caved in around 11:40 am, throwing residents and passers-by into panic. Several construction workers and other occupants were said to be trapped under the rubble, though the exact number remains unknown.
Eyewitnesses said the building gave way suddenly, with no prior warning signs. Rescue efforts were immediately attempted by bystanders, but operations were slowed by a lack of equipment such as excavators.
Officials from the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and the state’s materials testing department arrived at the scene to begin investigations into the cause of the collapse.
Sir Victor Meju, Chairman of COREN-ERM in Anambra State, disclosed that the structure was a five-storey private building with the sixth floor still under construction. He revealed that preliminary findings point to poor concrete mixture and a possible foundation defect as likely causes.
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