It was another tragic night in Owerri, the Imo State capital, where an 8-story building collapsed, Thursday, evening, trapping some 40 workers.
As at about 10.30 p.m., Thursday, two people had been confirmed dead while rescue efforts were in top gear to rescue those still trapped in the rubble.
Although there were no official account of what brought down the building located at Yar’Adua Drive in Owerri, those familiar with the structure blamed it on structural defect.
One resident said the pillars were very weak, while another said there were noticeable cracks in the structure. And that when the site engineer’s attention was drawn to the yawning cracks, he reportedly dismissed them with a wave of his hand, as if saying they were not enough to wake a sleeping tot.
Rescuers, first responders, the Red Cross, security agents and sympathisers were still soaked in the rescue of those trapped in the collapsed building as at the time of filing this report.
