OKO, NIGERIA – Rescue missions in Anambra State are still underway following the collapse of a private hostel building in Oko over the weekend. At least one individual is dead in this disaster, but three other survivors are receiving medical treatment.
The collapse reportedly took place around 11:00 p.m. Sunday, and search and rescue operations are ongoing as emergency crews arrive at the scene on Monday morning.
“So far, we have rescued three people alive. They are under treatment at the hospital. Then one has been confirmed dead,” said Priscillia Madukwe, Enugu Zonal Head of Operations of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
One of the survivors, Grace Nweke, recounted her story on how she managed to escape the building right before the collapse: “Ten minutes after, the lodge just started collapsing. Things started breaking. We just managed to get out of there.”
The area where the building collapsed has been cordoned off, and an investigation into the cause of the accident has been started; initial findings point to the possibility of some structural weakness in the building.
Following this, Chijioke Ojukwu, Commissioner of Anambra State Physical Planning and Urban Development Department, said in reaction to the accident that “Anyone who does not meet the structural integrity test will have his building pulled down.”
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