By Isaac Mission
A four-storey building under construction has collapsed in Independent Layout, Enugu State, leaving one person feared dead and four others rescued from the debris.
The structure, reportedly being developed as a hotel, collapsed in the early hours of Sunday while several workers or occupants were inside the uncompleted building.
Emergency responders were quickly deployed to the scene after receiving reports of the incident. Rescue operations continued for hours as officials searched through the rubble for anyone who might still be trapped.
The Executive Chairman of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Agency (ECTDA), Uche Anya, said the collapsed structure had previously been sealed by the state government over alleged violations of building regulations.
According to Anya, the property received approval in 2021, before the current administration, but subsequent inspections allegedly revealed significant structural and compliance concerns.
He explained that he personally led an inspection team to the site and later issued a stop-work order after officials discovered what he described as serious integrity issues.
Anya said the site had remained sealed for about six months, although representatives of the property owner had recently been engaging the government over efforts to address the identified problems.
He described the collapse as unfortunate and said the owner's representative had been handed over to the police to assist with investigations.
The ECTDA chairman said officials arrived at the scene at about 6am after receiving information that several people had spent the night inside the uncompleted structure.
He added that one of the persons believed to have been at the site was reportedly absent when the building collapsed.
The Director of the Enugu State Fire Service, Okwudiri Oha, said the coordinated response by emergency agencies helped save four people who were trapped beneath the debris.
He commended the efforts of the Red Cross, Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), ECTDA, Enugu State Ambulance Services, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Oha said heavy-duty rescue equipment, including bulldozers and excavators, was deployed to assist the rescue operation.
He disclosed that four victims were initially pulled from the rubble and taken to a medical facility. Two of those rescued reportedly sustained minor injuries.
However, rescuers later recovered another person from the collapsed structure, with officials saying medical personnel would determine the person's condition.
NEMA's Information Officer in Enugu, Ezeani Nnanyelugo, confirmed that six people were believed to have been on the premises before the collapse.
He said one person was not present when the incident occurred, while four others were rescued and taken to hospital, where they were stabilised.
Nnanyelugo added that another body was subsequently recovered and transported to a hospital for confirmation of whether the victim was alive or dead.
The Executive Secretary of SEMA, Chinasa Mbah, said rescue teams would continue excavating the entire site to ensure that nobody remained trapped beneath the rubble.
She explained that despite the information available about the number of people at the location, authorities would thoroughly search the wreckage before ending the operation.
The incident has renewed concerns about compliance with building regulations and the need for strict monitoring of construction projects, particularly structures that have been flagged for safety violations.
