The Anambra State Government has expressed fears that more occupants may still be trapped beneath the rubble of the collapsed three-storey students’ hostel , saying rescue operations will continue until every missing person is accounted for.

Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Chijioke Ojukwu, disclosed this while giving an update on the tragedy on Channels Television, saying preliminary information suggested that between three and five persons could still be buried under the debris.

“We believe there may still be about three to five persons trapped beneath the rubble because not all the occupants of the building have been accounted for,” Ojukwu said.

“The only people who can provide a complete list of occupants are the management of the hostel. From information gathered from witnesses, we believe there are still a few persons trapped under the rubble.”

The commissioner, who expressed condolences to the bereaved families, said preliminary investigations showed that the building had structural defects known to its management before the collapse.

“Our preliminary findings indicate that the management was aware of the structural defects. The reasonable thing would have been to evacuate the occupants and notify the authorities. Unfortunately, pecuniary interest was placed above the safety of lives,” he said.

Ojukwu announced that the state government had constituted an investigative panel comprising engineers, architects, builders, town planners and officials of the Ministry of Physical Planning and the Anambra State Materials Testing Laboratory to determine the cause of the collapse.

“We have also received intelligence pointing to other buildings in the area with similar defects. We are extending the investigation to neighbouring buildings. Any structure that fails integrity tests will be recommended for immediate demolition,” he said.

The commissioner vowed to prosecute anyone found culpable, saying, “We shall prosecute everybody found to have contributed to this unfortunate incident. We will also recommend the revocation of land on which any building collapses as a result of negligence.”

He assured residents that rescue operations would continue until all missing occupants were accounted for while security agencies intensify efforts to identify the owner of the collapsed hostel. (Vanguard)

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