Oh No! One Dead, Another Trapped As 3-Storey Building Collapsed In Aba

A three-storey building has reportedly come crashing down in a community in Abia state, leaving one person dead and another trapped.
One person lost his life while another was injured when a three-storey building collapsed in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, a report by New Telegraph has shown.

This came a few days after a building, also a three-storey, collapsed in Aba and injured several people.

The latest incident occurred on Old Express off Sameck junction by Faulks Road, Aba. Residents of the area said perennial flood in the area might have weakened the foundation of the building.

It was learnt that one tenant died while trying to escape while another, who was resting, was trapped under the rubble for several hours. The tenant reportedly phoned his relatives to inform them that he was under the collapsed building and was dying of heat as he was not able to breathe properly. He was later rescued. Some witnesses said, before it collapsed, the building as a waiting disaster.

They alleged that even the wife of the late owner of the building had warned tenants of the impending doom, but the warning fell on deaf ears.Also, a source said the deceased, a father of three, had escaped from the building, but the fence collapsed on him before he was hit by flying bricks. A resident of the area, who gave his name simply as Mr. Chima, said the owner of the building died many years ago.

He said: “The people living in the house are his two wives and other tenants. We learnt that one of the landlord’s wives noticed that the house was cracking. She raised the alarm, asking their tenants to leave the building, because she was afraid the building was going to collapse. “The man who died inside the building, from what we learnt, was held back by his wife not to go in, but he eventually found his way into the building after he said that there was money he wanted to use for something urgent. “He made it alive, but while he was running out of the building, part of the fence fall on him, but before help could come his way, other blocks had already collapsed on him and he died.

“The other person trapped inside is an okada rider (motorcyclist). I learnt that he was resting in the house before the unfortunate incident. We started this rescue operation when he called one of his relatives, informing them that he was still trapped under the structure. “You need to see the flood here whenever it rains and this has been happening over the years.

“We were happy when Governor Okezie Ikpeazu started construction work on this Old Express. But our joy died when we discovered that the work stopped by Sameck.

“We are appealing to the governor to come to our aid. We fear that many houses may go this way.”

Some of the tenants thanked God for sparing their lives. They, however, called on government and private individuals to come to their aid as they lost a lot of property and valuables in the building collapse. They added that the things they could take out of the building were the clothes they were wearing. A source said the trapped man was later rescued but he was swollen, unconscious and was immediately rushed to a hospital.

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