Rivers Govt Seals-Off Site of Collapsed Building in Rumuodara

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Rivers State government has sealed off a two-storey building that collapsed on Tuesday, along Okporo Road in Rumuodara, Obio Akpor Local Government Area of the state. 

The state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Isaac Umejuru who spoke with journalists during a visit to the site of the incident, said the reason for the sealing off of the property was to hold the engineer responsible for overseeing the project accountable.

He said the collapsed building was constructed without the necessary approval. 

Umejuru explained that the incident was caused by the addition of a second building on top of an existing structure, not in the original planning which ultimately led to the collapse. 

He said, “It is an old building that they now put another building on top of, and the second one coming up led to the collapse, but luckily the three people the building collapsed on were properly saved, and a 2-year-old child was there”.

The commissioner also disclosed that all the victims in the collapsed building were rushed to an undisclosed medical facility where they are responding to treatments. He revealed that an investigation has been initiated by the ministry into the collapse.

“We have launched a discrete investigation into the immediate cause and causes of this collapse. However, visually we can see that the building is an old building and someone is attempting to cut corners by adding another floor to it.”

Umejuru however, cautioned property owners on the risks of constructing buildings without ministry approval. 

He emphasised that the ministry has a team of experienced building experts in place to review and approve building plans, noting that those who proceed with construction without proper approval will face sanctions. 

Shortly after visiting the site of the collapse, the commissioner visited the survivors of the collapse at the hospital and cleared their medical expenses.