Building Collapses from Heavy Rain

A two-storey building, still under construction, in the Marine Quarters area of Warri in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State yesterday collapsed amidst heavy rain. The collapse of the building resulted in a huge heap of rubbles but there was no casualty since the workers were trapped in their various homes because of the heavy rain. THISDAY observed that the incident which occurred at about 1:00 p.m. left impacts on two nearby buildings. An eyewitness confirmed that the labourers working on the building had suspended works as a result of the rains but thanked God that no life was lost to the incident. It was however gathered that the owner of the collapsed building took to his heels having been accused earlier by residents that he was using fake materials for the construction of the house.

Chairman of Marine Quarters, Mr. Olusegun Awodeyi told Journalists that residents in the area had warned the owner of the building that the foundation and other parts of the building were not firm enough due to “substandard materials” used for the construction. He said rather than make use of good and standard materials, the owner of the building once said “we should go away that he knows what he is doing as an engineer”. Chairman of Warri South Local Government, Dr. Michael Tidi expressed happiness that no life was lost and assured that the owner of the building would be invited to take responsibility for his action. He said the building department of the council had warned the owner to “stop work” on the construction but he failed to heed the warning leading to the collapse.

Related Articles