An eyewitness, Mr. Chima Azu, told Saturday Vanguard that the building located along Obafemi Awolowo way in Abuja sank into the ground a few metres before collapsing to the side. He added that five bodies were rescued with two men feared dead.
According to him, “I left my office situated opposite the collapsed building to visit some clients. As I stood along Awolowo way waiting for a cab, I heard a very loud noise. “I saw the building sink into the ground before the third and the newly added fourth floors fell by the side. With the air polluted by massive dust, we scampered first for our own safety. It took about two hours for serious rescue operations by relevant agencies to commence on the site. “So far, five persons were rescued with two feared dead. Of the three that survived, one man miraculously came out of the debris on his own. Another victim made some calls while still trapped underground, saying that he was suffocating. We have been calling back his number but he no longer picks our calls.”
Another eyewitness, Abubakar Umar, said that the building was abandoned in the area for close to two decades until recently when activities resumed on site.
“I moved to this area in 2001 as a child. I literally grew into an adult knowing that this collapsed structure was an abandoned building,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of FCT, Alhaji Mohammed Bello, who expressed sadness over the incident, vowed that the Federal Capital Territory Administration will investigate the incident with a view to unravelling the major causes. In his reaction, the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, commended the rescue operators for their prompt response in the rescue operations.