By Adadareporters
Four siblings died and many injured as a building collapsed in Enugu during Friday’s heavy downpour.
The incident occurred at Umeh Agric Quarters, behind Mgbemena road, Coal camp, Enugu. Reports say a fence of a building situated upvalley collased, and wrecked havoc on the affected building, comprising 44 rooms.
A resident, Jennifer Okoye, told newsmen that she survived because she was at work when the incident happened but that her room was badly hit by the collapse.
The age bracket of the deceased siblings is between 8 and 15, a source said, adding that their mother, a trader, was not at home when the incident took place.
“One of the boys is still in the hospital and their mother too who is yet to be informed that her children are dead. The name of their mother is Modester Okereke and their father had died. Even a remnant body part of one of the victims is still trapped in the rubble behind my room,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA, has sealed the residences where the siblings died.
The chairman of ECTDA, Hon Uche Anya, who visited the affected area, Saturday morning, said that the affected bungalow where the four siblings died was originally approved for animal husbandry but was converted for residence.
According to him, “As soon as we got the intelligence, we rushed to the place. Four children died in the episode. It was danger waiting to happen. The construction was irresponsible. The place should never have been occupied by human beings. In fact, go there and see.
“Apparently, they claimed that they were doing animal husbandry and poultry there but it turned out that there are 44 rooms that human beings are occupying and there must have been a population of over 200 people there.
“The fence line was totally unacceptable, nobody does that, and unfortunately, the people we lost in that tragedy are innocent children and it is very painful.”
The ECTDA chairman said that the agency would keep sensitising the public on safety measures, adding that the compliance unit would ensure that structures erected by landlords and contractors adhere strictly to the approval plan.
