Building collapse in Nigeria: 5 people dead

On November 23, 2018, a 7-storey building collapsed in Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers state in Nigeria, killing 5 people according to recent updates.

The building was located in the Government Residential Area (GRA) of the city. Around 60 construction workers were inside when it fell apart as it was still under construction.

A report about the cause of the collapse has not been issued yet. However, a government official stated that the failure may have been triggered by a structural fault. In any case, he ensured that the incident will be thoroughly examined.

Rescue efforts still continue as more people are trapped under the debris. Until Saturday, 24 of November, 36 people were pulled out of the rubble. The fire department and the police have assisted the rescue teams in a desperate race with time to save as many lives as they can.

People rescued were shocked by the incident. They could not tell how many were still trapped or provide extra data to rescuers. 

A construction worker, who miraculously left the building seconds before its collapse, said that he heard a loud noise and witnessed the catastrophic incident. He explained that the building was so crowed because the workers were usually paid on Fridays.

The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, returned earlier from a trip abroad due to the building collapse. He was surprised by the fact that a 7-storey building was approved under this topography and promised that the incident will be investigated.

Sources: Channelstv.com, TheGuardian.ng