No fewer than 50 workers escaped death after a three-storey building still under construction at Umuoma village, Umuoji, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra State, collapsed.
Witnesses disclosed that in the morning of the fateful day, prior to the collapse, more than 50 workers were seen busy working on the building said to be meant for hotel business.
“We saw the shape of the building and the type of iron rod used and concluded that the materials used in erecting the said hotel project were fake. True to our prediction, hours after, at about 4pm, it collapsed from the top floor, but luckily for the workers nobody was trapped. We blame the contractor handling the project because a lot of money has been wasted,” the witnesses lamented.
When Daily Sun visited the scene, it was seen sealed by the state Urban Planning Authority, even as some of the workers were packing their luggages out of the premises.
A passerby, who pleaded anonymity, said that the speed at which the building was being erected might have also contributed to its unexpected collapse, stating that the materials used were not given enough time to solidify.
“How can you be putting blocks on top of the ones that have not dried and you know also that the iron rods you are using are inferior and not meant for storey buildings like this.
“I am happy with the immediate sealing of the premises because what it means is that, for now, the compound belongs to the state government. If someone had been trapped, the owner would feel unconcerned as his worry would be on the collapsed building,” he stated.