One person has been killed after an uncompleted building collapsed in the Independent Layout area of Enugu State, while the representative of the developer has been handed over to the police for questioning.
The building reportedly collapsed at about 6am on Sunday, trapping several people who were staying inside the unfinished structure.
Emergency responders were alerted after residents reported that people were trapped beneath the rubble. Rescue teams immediately arrived at the scene and began searching through the debris, with an excavator later deployed to assist the operation.
Four people were rescued alive and taken to a hospital for medical attention. Two of them reportedly sustained minor injuries.
The body of a male victim was later recovered from the collapsed structure, bringing the number of people accounted for to five.
The Executive Chairman of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Agency, Uche Anya, said the property had been approved in 2021 but was later sealed by the agency after officials discovered structural integrity problems and violations of the approved building plan.
Anya said he personally led an inspection of the property and issued a stop-work order before the building was sealed.
According to him, the developer’s representative had been engaging the agency for several weeks over the regulatory issues before the collapse occurred.
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Anya confirmed that the representative of the property owner, who reportedly lives abroad, had been handed over to the police to assist with the investigation.
The Director of the Enugu State Fire Service, Okwudiri Oha, said the security guard told rescuers that six people had been staying in the building, although one person had left before the collapse.
The Enugu State Emergency Management Agency said rescue workers would continue excavating the entire wreckage to ensure that no survivor or body remained trapped beneath the debris.
Authorities have commenced investigations into the circumstances surrounding the collapse.
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