Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers State government has confirmed the rescue of 11 persons from a collapsed five-storey building, which is under construction in Port Harcourt.
Saturday Sun gathered that the collapsed building, which was proposed to be a seven-storey building, was located along Woji Road, GRA Phase 2, opposite De Planet Lounge, in the state capital.
State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, confirmed the incident yesterday evening.
Okah stated: “I confirm that a multiple story building under construction at Woji Road, GRA Phase 2 (opposite De Planet Lounge), Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has collapsed.
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“Cause of collapse is still speculative, but Rivers State government has since activated all emergency services to rescue those trapped in the debris.
“As at now, about 11 persons have been rescued alive, while efforts are intensified to rescue the rest. Will keep you updated on developments”, Okah disclosed.
Meanwhile, an eyewitness, Solomon Eribor, who claimed that he was at the De Planet Lounge, when the building collapsed, told Saturday Sun that 30 persons reported at the site in the morning, for work.
According to Eribor, the people were mostly casual workers, including masons, bricklayers and others.
When Saturday Sun visited the site at about 6:30pm, scavenger machines were busy removing the debris in a bid to check if some persons are still trapped underneath.
As at the time of filing the report, no casualty has been recorded.