Anambra map
A three-storey building with four suspended floors located behind the Anambra State House of Assembly, off Ekwueme Square, Okpuno Awka, the Anambra State capital, has collapsed.
It was gathered that the building, still under construction and at the roofing stage, suddenly caved in at about 11:40 am on Thursday.
The development threw residents and passers-by into panic as it was gathered that some yet-to-be-identified number of occupants, especially construction workers, were trapped in the rubble.Eyewitnesses near the scene said the structure suddenly caved in without any prior sign, adding that the number of workers and other occupants trapped could not be ascertained yet.
The cause of the collapse and casualty figure has yet to be ascertained, but some officials from the state Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria and the materials testing department are already on the ground to ascertain the cause of the collapse.
Our correspondent, who visited the scene of the collapse, observed as some bystanders and other passers-by initiated some rescue efforts in a bid to see if anyone trapped could be rescued.
It was a chaotic situation at the scene as rescue efforts were being hampered by a lack of logistics and other necessary equipment, such as excavators. Punch
