Less than two weeks after a building collapse at the Oduigbo section of the Ochanja market, Onitsha, a five-storey building, on Sunday morning, collapsed at on Garden Street Fegge, Onitsha, Anambra State.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the Anambra State Physical Planning Board, Chike Mmaduekwe, decried the development and expressed gratitude to God that no life was lost as the collapse was a partial one.
He, however, disclosed that the approval given was for the construction of a three-storey building but the developer went contrary to plan and started erecting a five-storey building.
The building was meant to serve a commercial purpose upon completion.
An excavator had already been deployed to the site to commence evacuation of the rubbles and a possible rescue operation of any trapped victim.
Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, had warned developers to not only secure approvals from the relevant bodies before building but also to comply with terms of construction to avoid loss of lives and resources.
He had ordered all buildings erected without approvals in the state to be demolished and this collapsed building will not be an exception as repeated contravention notices were served the developer who remained adamant.
Although the reason for the collapse had yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report on Sunday evening, it was gathered that one person had been rescued while rescue operations were still ongoing to locate other trapped victims from the rubble.
When contacted on the development, the state police spokesperson, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident and said security operatives were already on the ground to coordinate the rescue operation.
The Public Relations Officer, Anambra State Emergency Management Agency, Chinyere Nworah, could not be reached as she did not respond to messages and calls to her telephone.
As of the time of filing this report, rescue operations were still ongoing at the scene and no official casualty figure has yet been obtained.
This unfortunate incident underscores the urgency of enforcing building regulations and ensuring the safety of construction projects. As investigations unfold, the community remains vigilant, hoping for a swift resolution to prevent further harm.
