About 200 persons, including students from Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Unizik) in Awka, Anambra State, were saved from certain death by Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) operations after a three-story, old structure collapsed on top of them in the state capital.
It was gathered that before the unfortunate incident, the development control unit of the ACTDA had earlier taken decisive action and evacuated all the occupants from the building.
Speaking to Journalists shortly after sealing off the building for investigation, the Agency’s Deputy Commandant in charge of Rapid Response, Henry Uchechukwu Nabolisa, said the collapse was majorly caused by soakaways spread across the four walls of the building, noting that the structure has more than 10 soakaways surrounding the entire compound.
Nabolisa while warning other residents in the state not to delay reporting any collapse signal to the relevant authority for prompt intervention, noted that no life was lost and no injury was recorded in the incident.
Officials of the ACTDA, officials of the State Ministry of Environment and the rescue occupants of the building were at the scene of the collapse at the time of filling this report.
It was also gathered that the Agency equally sealed off a cracked two-storey building (Golden Lodge) close to the area to prevent a similar occurrence.