A seven-storey building under construction has just collapsed at Woji GRA phase Two, Port Harcourt and workers said not to be less than 200 people have been trapped.
Legit.ng's regional reporter, Tony Ihunwo, learnt authoritatively that 11 people were rescued alive, on Friday night, November 23.
Simeon Nwakaudu,the special assistant on electronic media to Governor Nyesom Wike confirmed the number of the rescued people to our reporter.
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Not less than 200 construction workers are reportedly trapped as the seven-story building collapsed. Credit: Tony Ihunwo/Legit.ng
Rescue operation is going on as at the time of filing this report. Credit: Tony Ihunwo/Legit.ng
Speaking at the scene of the accident, the state's commissioner for Information and communications, Emman Okah, said it was difficult to ascertain the number of those trapped but that the major concern of the relevant agencies is to see how victims can be rescued alive.
However, members of Nigerian Defence Safety Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Police, National Emergency Agency (NEMA), Red Cross are already on site for rescue operations.
One of the workers who narrowly escaped death and gave his name as Uche said that he had finished from site but dashed out to freshen up and later came back to collect his days' pay only to find that the building had collapsed.
"It is difficult to estimate the number of persons trapped. We have eight machines working in each floor. And on each machines we have 22 persons attached to it. In fact we should be more than 200 persons at site," he said.
Meanwhile, in the early hours of Saturday, November 24, Channels TV in an updated report stated that one person was brought out dead from the rubbles of the seven-story.
The number of the rescued persons has also increased from 11 to 22, with one of them badly injured with an amputated hand.
The rescue operations were carried out by emergency workers and security agencies overnight.
However, the rescue operators believe that more bodies are still buried under the rubbles.
Meanwhile, another updated report from The Punch in the early hours of Sunday, November 25, states that at least five people have been confirmed dead.
Legit.ng gathered that four persons, who were brought out of the rubble on Saturday, November 24, were already dead, while rescuers continued to work round the clock to save few persons still under the rubble.
The NSCDC public relations officer in Rivers state, Akin Oguntuase, said that while the bodies of the four persons recovered from the rubble had been taken to the mortuary, it had been difficult to get one corpse out.
Oguntuase disclosed that the head of the said deceased was still trapped under a brick and could not be easily removed.
“We have removed four bodies and we have taken then to the mortuary. One body is still trapped under the rubble and it has begun to decompose. But we are still trying our best to remove it,” he said.
Not fewer than 36 people have been rescued so far, Channels TV states in its own version of the update.
Efforts are still reportedly currently on to clear it as voices are been heard from under the rubble of the collapsed building.
The seven-storey building which is located on Woji road in the Port Harcourt G.R.A. was under construction when it collapsed around 4.30 pm on Friday, November 23.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that an unidentified man was on Thursday, November 14, killed by a stray bullet alleged to have been shot by policemen at Emenike Junction, by St. Andrews State School, Diobu, Port Harcourt, Rivers state.
The deceased, who sold popcorn, lay in a pool of blood when newsmen visited the scene.
“I had barely left the spot when the unfortunate incident happened about 3pm,” an eyewitness was quoted to have said.
It was not clear which police team fired the shot or which the direction it came from.
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Source: Legit.ng
