Four killed, others trapped in Delta collapsed building

At least four persons were feared dead on Saturday when a three-storey building under construction collapsed on Aghwana Avenue, Abraka in the Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State.

It was gathered that the workers numbering 12, all from the South-West region, were sleeping when the building caved in at 5:45am.

Reports indicate that five of the workers escaped before the building completely collapsed.

Abraka is where the Delta State University is located.

Though the collapsed building was nearing completion, it had already been named as Hotel 206. The building is said to be owned by an indigene of the area.

Although the cause of the collapse was still sketchy as of the time of filing this report, it was learnt that substandard materials must have been used in the construction.

Sources said that four of the victims were sleeping on the second floor. The five survivors who escaped unhurt were said to be sleeping on the first floor.

A resident of the area, Mercy Jerry, revealed that; “The building collapsed around 5:45am when it was raining heavily. It is a hotel already named as Hotel 206. Five of the workers survived unhurt during the process. But the survivors claimed four of their colleagues were already dead.

“The remaining three and the four dead persons are still trapped in the building. Excavator is already on the site, trying to rescue the trapped victims. Immediately the police arrived on the site, we were all asked to leave the place and they shut the gate.”

Another resident of the community who simply identified himself as Oghenevwegba, said, “The owner should take the blame for the collapse because he deliberately used substandard materials. The blocks and the rods used are unfit for a three-storey building. We should be happy that the hotel has not started functioning.”

When contacted, the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Adeyinka Adeleke, confirmed the incident but said he had not been briefed on the number of casualties.

He said, “There is a collapsed building; people are still there searching for the victims. It’s at the end of the rescue operation that we would know the number of persons that died and how many were injured.”