Mother and daughter killed in Anambra building collapse

A woman and her 14-year-old daughter died when a three-storey building under construction fell down at Anata Anaba, Okpoko, in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The incident happened around 9:45 pm on Wednesday. The mother and daughter were trapped inside their apartment in a nearby bungalow when the building collapsed.

Eyewitnesses reported that the building made a loud noise. They said the walls started cracking before the whole structure came crashing down, sending residents into a panic.

Some other people trapped in the rubble were rescued by emergency responders and rushed to the hospital, according to residents.

“The woman and her daughter were in their apartment in a nearby bungalow when the three-storey building collapsed and trapped them. Before the building caved in, it made a loud noise as the walls started making cracking noises before falling one after the other.

“Some other people who were also trapped in the rubble were later rescued and rushed to the hospital by an emergency response team that mobilised to the scene to evacuate victims,” an eyewitness said.

Some residents said they had raised concerns about the construction. They argued that the waterlogged nature of the land made it not fit for a three-storey building.

They claimed that the engineer who first handled the project had told the builder to limit it to two floors because of the ground conditions, but the recommendation was ignored.

Residents said another engineer was later brought in to continue the project and build three storeys.

The collapse killed the landlady of the neighbouring bungalow and her youngest child. The woman's son, named Chimobi, said three family members were in the apartment when the building came down.

“I was outside at the time of the incident. But my mother and my sister were in the bedroom when the building collapsed directly on them, leaving them with no opportunity to escape.

“It’s unfortunate. We had earlier warned the builder about the danger posed by the structure and we were joined by other residents in calling for the construction to be stopped, but our concerns were not heeded,” he said sadly.

On Thursday, the Anambra State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Chijioke Ojukwu, confirmed the incident and called it unfortunate.

Ojukwu visited the scene with Noble Igwe, the member representing Ogbaru One Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly. The commissioner blamed the collapse on substandard materials and said the authorities had earlier issued a stop-work notice on the building.

“The structure was an illegal building and we had ordered its demolition. The land will be taken over by the state government. We are also looking into other unapproved buildings under construction in the area.

“It collapsed because of negligence and poor-quality construction. It fell and killed the residents of a neighbouring bungalow, a woman and her child,” Ojukwu added.