Two Buildings Collapse in Anambra

David-Chyddy Eleke

Two buildings, one under construction and another one abandoned in Amikwo village, Awka, the state capital, and in Oko, Aguata Local Government Area of the state respectively, collapsed yesterday.

Sources said both collapsed buildings were two-storey structures.

Four persons were said to have been trapped inside the debris in the Oko building, but were rescued with injuries, while about 20 persons reportedly escaped death in that of Amikwo.

One of the witnesses, whose name was not revealed, said the Amikwo building collapsed at about 2a.m. yesterday, falling on a part of an occupied nearby two storey building, but no life was lost.

When contacted on the Oko incident, the Executive Chairman of the Anambra State Physical Planning Board, Chike Maduekwe, blamed the incident on compromise on structural integrity.

He said the structure had since been sealed, while development partners had been invited for questioning.

When THISDAY visited the scene of the Awka incident, the building had also been sealed by officials of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA).

The Managing Director of ACTDA, Amaechi Okwuosa, said the building has been under construction for the past 10 years and was marked for demolition in 2018.

“Although the developer had commenced demolition of the building, the right equipment was not used, hence the collapse,” he said.