The National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria (NEMA) has confirmed that no fewer than six people died in the building collapse that occurred at Ochanja Market in Onitsha South Local Government Area of Anambra State on Monday.
In a preliminary report published on its verified X handle on Tuesday, NEMA said the building collapse occurred at about 6:30 pm on Monday and that no fewer than 21 people have been rescued alive, while the six confirmed dead bodies have been taken to the morgue.
NEMA said the affected building is a new building Plaza under construction with more than 120 shops and that the 21 rescued people sustained varying degrees of injuries and have been taken to different hospitals within the Onitsha metropolis for treatment.
According to the agency, “Search and rescue operation is still ongoing at the scene of the collapse and the Anambra State government has deployed several earth moving equipment to the disaster scene to speed up the rescue operation.”
As of press time, the agency said its Owerri Operation office has been radioed to Onitsha as part of the rescue team to assist the South East Zonal Office in the operation.
“Others in attendance are the Emergency Response Team of NEMA Operations Office Owerri, Anambra SEMA, Red Cross Society Onitsha Chapter, Ministry of Works, Several Construction Companies, and other relevant stakeholders.
“The state governor, His Excellency Professor Chukwuma Soludo, and his entourage have visited the scene. The governor assisted in the mobilization of tractors and excavators to the scene of the incident,” the agency added.