Three-Storey Building Collapses In Enugu

A three-storey building under construction at No 16 Nnobi Street, Uwani, Enugu collapsed on Saturday.
No casualty had been recorded at the incident.
Some of the witnesses who spoke to reporters said that they heard a heavy sound as well as people shouting at the early hours of the morning.
One of the witnesses, Mr Chukwuebuka Okonkwo, said that when he heard the bang around 5.30 a.m., he ran out with the members of his family.
“When I heard the sound and people shouting, I thought that it was a bomb blast and I asked members of my family to run for safety.
“When I came out I saw that it was the uncompleted building near my house that was collapsing,’’ he said.
Another witness, Miss Kanayo Enemkpali, said she was shocked that a building nearing completion could collapse in such a manner.
Enemkpali thanked God that no life was lost in the incident.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner for Land and Urban Development, Dr Chukwuemeka Ujam, said that government did not give approval for the building of the house.
According to him, there is a design for this area and the height design of the building exceeded the design.
“The maximum height of the building here is three-storeys and the owner exceeded the approval.
“We stopped the work on several occasions but we discovered that they chose to build at night to beat government’s order.
“I hope this serves as a deterrent to others who disobey government’s orders,’’ he said.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Enugu Capital Territory Development,
Mr Ikechukwu Ugwuegede, said that government would commence full investigations into the incident.
He said the investigation would unravel if professionals and standard materials were used in the project.
“We will identify all the people involved including the owner, the contractor and architect in the investigation because from all indication, it is a clear case of structural defect,’’ he said.
Ugwuegde said that his officers had not seen the owner of the building as all efforts to reach him failed.
A construction company, Arab Contractors, and the state Fire Service were already on ground to remove the debris. [NAN]