Collapsed Building Kills Two, Injures Three In Benin.

Tragedy struck in Benin, the Edo State
capital, over the weekend when a section of
a three-storey building under
construction suddenly collapsed, allegedly
killing two persons and leaving three others
severely wounded.

The building, located opposite the NNPC
Mega filling station on Sapele Road, was
said to have collapsed when the weather
was bright and sunny and devoid of the
wetness from downpour that often flood
the capital city on daily basis since the rainy
season began.
According to reports, the victims were
pouring concrete on a cantilever projection
on the third floor when the form-work
apparently caved in, owing to alleged poor
and substandard work.

Reports have it that both the survivors and
the dead were hired by a contractor to do
the two-day job at N3, 000 per day for each
worker.

One of the deceased who was simply
identified as Mike, sustained a deep cut in
the chest, when he and his colleagues fell
from the third floor to the ground, where
they were allegedly smashed by concrete
slabs.

He was said to have been rushed to the
Central Hospital in Benin and he was
confirmed dead there.

An eyewitness said the other victim
allegedly gave up the ghost in hospital.
Effort to confirm his identity was, however,
not successful as at the time of filing this
report.

For one of the workers, Sunday Oniuvusa, a
graduate of Mechanical Engineering from
the University of Benin who sustained
injury, he described himself as lucky to have
survived the building collapse.

“Some of the blocks that fell prevented the
planks on the ground from harming us; I
was lucky. But in the boy’s case, there was
nothing to protect him so one of the planks
pierced his chest,” Oniuvusa said.

The supervisor of the project, Mr. Morris
Omoregie, in an interaction with Sunday
Mirror at the hospital, blamed the collapse
incident on a different contractor, noting
that the remains of the deceased had been
deposited in a mortuary, while those injured
were still receiving treatment.

He said, “I am directly involved because I
lost someone. I called them to place the
concrete and their form-work
collapsed. The form-work was supposed to
hold everything until 21 days. They are my
persons.

“I am the one handling their medical bills so
far,” the supervisor added.

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