A person has died and three others have been rescued after a building under construction collapsed along Odili Road in Port Harcourt, according to a report by.
The incident occurred on Wednesday and came less than 48 hours after another building collapse was reported in the Iwofe area of Rivers State, raising renewed concerns about construction standards and regulatory compliance.
Eyewitnesses said workers were inside the three-storey structure, described as a proposed hotel or shopping complex, when it suddenly gave way during construction activities. Several people were trapped beneath the rubble as panic spread across the area.
Emergency responders, including personnel from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigerian Red Cross Society and the Rivers State Police Command, quickly mobilised to the scene to begin rescue operations.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Ikechukwu Okoro, who coordinated security efforts at the site, said officers were deployed immediately after reports of the collapse were received.
According to him, three victims were rescued alive and taken for medical treatment, but one later died in hospital. He added that the area was cordoned off to prevent further casualties and allow emergency workers to carry out rescue efforts safely.
Local volunteer and heavy equipment operator Val Onwumelu, popularly known as the “Instigator of Port Harcourt”, said his team joined the operation after receiving reports that people were trapped beneath the debris.
He said rescuers were able to hear voices from under the rubble and successfully extracted two people alive with the assistance of engineers and excavation equipment.
The Red Cross Emergency First Aid Coordinator in Port Harcourt, Yibotemeka Kalio, confirmed that rescue teams remained at the scene and that additional victims were feared trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
Reacting to the incident, Rivers State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Edward Hart, said preliminary findings showed the property was allocated and approved by the Federal Housing Authority rather than the state government.
Hart attributed many building collapse incidents to non-compliance with approved building plans, the use of substandard materials and the engagement of unqualified personnel. He said the ministry would intensify inspections of construction sites across the state and urged developers to follow approved plans and employ qualified professionals.
Rescue operations continued into the evening as emergency workers searched for any additional victims trapped beneath the debris.
