Two carpenters killed in Anambra building collapse – COREN

Council for the Registration of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN) has confirmed two persons killed in Anambra State building collapsed.

The Council noted that the building is owned by one Chief Barrister Frank Chijioke Elendu. News Echo gathered that the two storey building which was located at Oraifite, Ekwusigo Local Government Area was being rid of its second floor which was said to have a defect, when it caved in and killed two persons working at the site. A source said: “Two persons lost their lives in the building collapse in Ibolo, Oraifite in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State.

“The deceased were said to be working at the two storey facility when the incident occurred at the early hours of Friday. “The Engineer in charge had instructed the workers to remove the second floor which was not properly constructed. “It was in course of the removal that the building caved in.”

It was learnt that as at Saturday morning, one of the deceased workers had been removed from the debris, while the other was still yet to be found. Reacting further via statement made available to Journalists in Awka, on Sunday, the State Chairman of COREN, Engr. Victor Onyeanyana Meju, said the collapse structure claims the lives of two carpenters roofing the building. According to Meju, he and members of the State Technical Committee of the Engineering Regulation and Monitoring Inspectorate Anambra State visited the site of the collapsed twin two storey building owned by Chief Barr. Frank Chijioke Elendu which claimed two lives (Carpenters roofing the building). “The structure which was contracted to Gumec Construction Company collapsed at about 17:55Hours of 22/09/2022.

The committee while in the course of their preliminary and visual site seeing of the building which commenced two years ago noted unprofessional practices which are against Engineering Codes and Standards in the country and beyond.

“Samples of concrete, rods, blocks and other aggregates from the site have been collected for proper laboratory test to ascertain their strengths.” The State Technical Committee of the Engineering Regulation and Monitoring Inspectorate and the Anambra State Physical Planning Board has since sealed the site, he added.