Two individuals were reportedly trapped when a three-storey building under construction collapsed on Tuesday evening in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State.
The incident occurred at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki. During the search and rescue operation, one person was rescued and taken to the hospital for medical treatment, while another remains trapped in the rubble.
A labourer who escaped the collapse recounted his narrow escape, attributing it to a brief hand-washing break.
“I was loading a bag of stones, and the owner of the house was here with me, telling me to arrange it properly,” he said in a ChannelsTV report.
He had just finished paying us. The building showed no signs of an imminent collapse. I was fortunate because my tools were inside, and I had just stepped out to wash my hands.”
Ebonyi Police spokesperson DSP Joshua Ukandu confirmed via chat that rescue operations were ongoing, with officers and officials from the state Ministry of Works and Capital Development Authority working to free the trapped labourer.
Later in the night, the second trapped individual, who was a mute, was successfully rescued and also transported to the hospital for treatment.
