A mother and her 14 year old daughter have died after a three-storey building under construction collapsed at Anata Anaba, Okpoko, in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The incident happened at about 9:45 pm on Wednesday when the structure collapsed onto a neighbouring bungalow, trapping the occupants.
The victims were identified as Mrs Happiness Ugoagu and her daughter, Chikaima. Her son, Chimobi, said he was outside when the building caved in, while his mother and sister were in the bedroom.
“I was outside at the time of the incident. But my mother and my sister were in the bedroom when the building collapsed directly on them, leaving them with no opportunity to escape,” he said.
Eyewitnesses said the building made loud cracking noises before it came down, throwing residents into panic. Other persons trapped in the rubble were rescued by emergency responders and taken to hospital.
Residents said they had earlier raised alarm over the building, alleging that the land is waterlogged and that an engineer had advised that it should not exceed two storeys. They claimed the warning was ignored and another engineer was engaged to continue to three storeys.
Anambra State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Chijioke Ojukwu, who visited the scene, said a stop-work notice had previously been issued on the structure. He attributed the collapse to use of substandard materials and described it as an illegal structure.
The state government has sealed the site and ordered total demolition of the remaining structure.
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