A tragic disaster has struck Port Harcourt after a four-storey building under construction suddenly collapsed, leaving one person dead and several others trapped beneath the rubble.
The shocking incident occurred on Wednesday morning along the Peter Odili axis of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area in Rivers State, just two days after another three-storey building collapsed in the Rumuolumeni area, raising fresh concerns over construction safety in the state.
Eyewitnesses revealed that between eight and ten workers were inside the building when it came crashing down. Residents rushed to the scene and managed to rescue a few victims, but several others remained trapped under the massive debris.
One emotional witness recounted hearing a trapped victim desperately screaming, “My legs! My legs!” as rescuers struggled to reach him. Sadly, one body has already been recovered from the collapsed structure.
Adding to the tragedy, the site engineer supervising the project was reportedly among those trapped beneath the rubble.
In a shocking twist, a carpenter identified as Oladimeji Taiwo, who narrowly escaped death, claimed the site engineer had warned workers just minutes before the collapse that the building appeared unsafe. Taiwo said he had also noticed visible cracks in the walls before the structure suddenly gave way less than ten minutes after the warning.
“I’ve worked here for six months. Everything I own, including my phone, is buried inside. I just pray they rescue my brothers,” he said emotionally.
Emergency response teams, including officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigerian Red Cross Society, the Fire Service, the Ministry of Health, and security agencies, immediately mobilised to the scene to begin rescue operations.
The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, alongside the Commissioner for Urban Development and Physical Planning, Amairigha Edward Hart, also visited the site to supervise the ongoing rescue efforts.
As of Wednesday afternoon, three victims had been rescued alive, while emergency workers continued searching tirelessly for those still trapped beneath the collapsed building.
The heartbreaking incident has once again reignited concerns over the safety and quality of ongoing construction projects in Port Harcourt, especially following the recent building collapse that occurred less than 48 hours earlier.
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