Gabriel Enenche —
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday said the cause of collapse of a story building in Rivers State last Friday night, was as a result of sharp practices by the engineer handling the building. It also added that the engineer may have been compromised on the project as the incident could have been averted.
Godwin Tepikor, the NEMA South-south Zonal Coordinator, while speaking yesterday, confirmed the death of three persons at the site of the collapsed building in Aluu community, Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state.
He also said the disaster agency has concluded the evacuation, adding that the three dead bodies recovered from the rubble have been deposited at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) mortuary.
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“National Emergency Management Agency have completed evacuation in the collapsed story building, he said.
“We got a report of the collapsed building under construction yesterday (Saturday) and as the lead agency in charge of disaster management in Nigeria, we had to coordinate other stakeholders on a rescue mission at the incident scene.
“It’s glaring from our site assessment that the engineer or whoever would have been in charge of the project would have compromised.
“However, we have carried out the response and evacuated three bodies from under the rubble. The bodies have been deposited at the UPTH mortuary”, Tepikor added.
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He commended agencies and other stakeholders for their full participation to ensure the management of the disaster.
“I will not fail to commend the stakeholders, including the Nigerian Police Force, Federal Fire Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Red Cross, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Rivers State Emergency Medical Service and Ikwerre Local Government council chairman, who worked tirelessly, mobilised heavy equipment and other materials to save lives and maintain law and order”, he continued.