Seven Injured As Three-Storey Building Collapses In Rivers

A three-story structure under construction collapsed at Aboga along the Igwuruta-Etche Road in Rivers State’s Ikwerre Local Government Area, injuring at least seven people to various degrees.

The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 4, 2025, while workmen were on-site.

According to an eyewitness, no one was killed, and seven of the nine workers in the building were rescued with varying degrees of injuries, while two jumped off the structure.

“Getting here, I saw the building collapsing. While some of the workers were able to jump out, others could not as the building collapsed on them,” he said.

“Another eyewitness who did not want his name in print said, “I heard a loud sound while I was in the house; when I rushed out, I saw the building collapsing. Some persons from this area and passersby started using axes to break through the debris to rescue the victims before the government and police came to join the rescue effort.”

Emeka Kalu, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Sunday afternoon.

Aside from the initial rescue efforts by residents in the neighbourhood, Kalu stated that the authority of the Ikwerre Local Government Area, as well as officials from the Rivers State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and the Ministry of Special Duties, arrived just in time while responding to distress calls.

He added the ministries promptly mobilized excavators, a fire truck, and an ambulance to ensure the timely rescue of the victims, some of whom were stuck in the rubble.

Evans Bipi, State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, visited the scene and expressed regret over the building collapse.

He blamed the incident on the developer’s use of substandard materials, which he had previously warned about.

“It is unfortunate that we are beginning the year with this tragic incident, though no life was lost. This is the 4th building collapse we have witnessed in the state since I assumed office,” he said.

“Preliminary investigation at the scene of the incident shows that the building may have collapsed due to the use of substandard materials by the developer.

“Specifically, the use of 12mm rods for decking a building is a clear violation of construction standards. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, as similar cases of building collapse in the state have been linked to the same cause—the use of inferior materials.”

The commissioner accused the developer of building without a government-approved plan and ordered the site to be sealed pending an investigation into the cause of the building collapse.

The property owner has been summoned to the Ministry for questioning in conjunction with the investigations.

“As a government, we are not happy with the repeated causes of building collapse in the state that have claimed lives, injured several persons, and caused avoidable damages and losses to developers in the state.

“Let me warn that we will no longer condone a situation where some builders will continue to violate the building code, including building without a government-approved building plan and compromising safety standards by using substandard materials in a bid to save cost.”