Two people have been confirmed dead, while three others sustained injuries after a three-storey building used as an off-campus hostel for students of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, collapsed in Amokpala, Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Gatekeepers News reports that the building, identified as Elite Five Star Lodge and located beside Tonimas Filling Station in Amokpala, caved in late Sunday night, trapping several occupants beneath the rubble.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, Tochukwu Ikenga, said a police-led joint security and emergency response team immediately launched rescue operations after receiving a distress call.
“The Anambra State Police-led joint security team assures the public that rescue operations are ongoing following the late-night incident on Sunday involving the collapse of a three-storey building known as Elite Five Star Lodge, located beside Tonimas Filling Station, Amokpala, Oko, in Orumba North Local Government Area of the state.
“The incident resulted in some occupants being trapped beneath the rubble.”
Ikenga said police officers, in collaboration with other security agencies, secured the area to prevent further danger while coordinating rescue efforts. He added that the Anambra State Fire Service and the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) also joined the operation.
Speaking in Awka, the Acting Executive Secretary of SEMA, Ndidi Omega, confirmed that two victims had been certified dead, while three others rescued from the collapsed structure were receiving treatment at a hospital.
Omega said search and rescue operations would continue until emergency responders were certain that no one remained trapped beneath the rubble.
The Anambra State Government has sealed off the premises and constituted a panel to investigate the cause of the collapse.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Chijioke Ojukwu, said preliminary findings revealed visible structural defects in the building, alleging that the owner ignored warning signs and prioritised financial gain over the safety of occupants.
Ojukwu disclosed that the investigation panel comprises representatives of professional bodies in the building and construction sector. He added that integrity tests would also be conducted on neighbouring buildings with visible structural defects, warning that anyone found responsible for negligence would face prosecution.
The police had earlier urged residents to remain calm, avoid spreading unverified information and stay away from the scene to allow emergency responders unrestricted access, assuring that further updates would be communicated as more verified information becomes available.
