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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Disasters & Emergencies

One-storey building collapses in Anambra after heavy rains

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A one-storey building housing eight shops collapsed in Anambra, Nigeria, following persistent rainfall and heavy erosion.
  • The incident occurred Saturday night, destroying goods and properties worth millions of naira, but no deaths were reported.
  • Residents are calling on authorities to halt further construction in the area due to the danger posed by water channels and erosion.

A one-storey building containing eight shops has collapsed in Ikenga Ogidi, Anambra State, Nigeria, after days of persistent rainfall and severe erosion. The structure, located along the Onitsha-Awka-Enugu Expressway near the Building Materials International Market, caved in on Saturday night.

The collapse resulted in the destruction of goods and properties estimated to be worth millions of naira. Fortunately, traders and business owners had already closed for the day, and no fatalities were reported. When visited on Monday, the commercial building had been reduced to rubble, with floodwaters washing away much of the debris.

Prior to the collapse, it was already slanted to one direction due to persistent rainfall and heavy erosion that passes near it.

— eyewitnessDescribing the condition of the building before it collapsed.

Eyewitnesses reported that the building had been leaning to one side for some time due to the heavy erosion. They explained that the building was erected over an underground drainage channel where water from both sides of the expressway terminates. This blockage prevented water from flowing freely, making the structure unstable.

We knew the collapse was very imminent, with the Saturday night heaving rain and the flood it came with, the property collapsed because it could not withstand the volume of the water coming from both sides of the expressway and the one coming from the blocked water drainage on which the collapsed building was erected.

— eyewitnessExplaining the direct causes of the building's collapse.

Residents expressed long-standing concerns about the imminent collapse and are now urging the Anambra State government and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to prohibit further construction in the area. They believe such development poses a significant danger to residents and traders.

Government officials visited the site to assess the situation and ensure the safety of nearby structures. An anonymous official confirmed that an investigation has begun to determine the exact cause of the collapse and whether proper building approvals and standards were followed. Preliminary findings suggest multiple structural damages, and authorities are working to ascertain how the building failed and if regulatory procedures were neglected.

As you can see, it is now slanting towards different directions and posing danger. Preliminary reports gathered indicated multiple damages.

— government officialDescribing the current state of the collapsed building and initial findings.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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