Tragedy struck in the late hours of Wednesday – yesterday, January 29 – as scores of people got trapped under the rubble when a three-storey building under construction collapsed in Awka, Anambra State Capital.
The incident took place at the highbrow business area of Awka town along the busy Enugu-Awka- Onitsha expressway.
An unspecified number of construction workers were said to have been trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building.
As at the time of this report, an ambulance and firefighters were seen battling to rescue those trapped even as no single caterpillar or other rescue equipment was in sight yet.
A large number of sympathizers including motorists traveling to and from Onitsha and Enugu as well as other places were forced to stop to take a look at the ugly sight while traders and workers who had closed from work and businesses around the area also gathered to witness the ugly spectacle.
According to an eyewitness, “I saw them carrying materials up the building. There were about 5 of them. There was also a security man. Earlier in the day, they had come to buy things at my shop and I sold them to them.”
Another eyewitness, Monday Ibeh, corroborated the claim that the building had some persons trapped.
He stated that the fresh mixer equipment at the front of the building and other equipment simply indicates that there were others trapped.
Occupants of a nearby residential building revealed that in the past few weeks, work on the structure had intensified resulting in the finishing level of the complex.
As of the time of this report, no equipment for rescue operation had arrived at the scene, except ambulances and fire trucks.
