A club house which was undergoing make over from a bungalow to a storey building collapsed on Friday trapping scores of menial labourer and customers at Phase IV road in Jikwoyi, Abuja.
Four persons were pulled out alive by rescue workers within few hours of the incident and rushed in ambulances to nearby hospitals, while voices were heard under the rubbles calling for help and making phone calls.
Two female workers of the club were seen wailing and showing rescue officials where people were trapped in the collapsed site. One of them put the figure of those still trapped as 13. Residents within the area alleged that the building named ‘Mimshack Arena’ belongs to a policeman called Corporal Joseph.
Emeka Ikechuckwu, a resident said some customers were drinking at the bar, while construction work was going on when the entire building craved in.
One of the rescue officials at the scene complained that buildings around the area were built so closely which made it difficult for rescue vehicles to get to the incident scene.
Efforts to speak to the coordinator of the Abuja operations office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ishaya Chonoko, failed as calls to his phone were not answered. Daily Trust later learnt that he was at the scene of the building collapse coordinating rescue operations.
However, NEMA information officer, Manzo Eziekiel informed our reporter that the building collapsed as a result of an additional floor being added on it.
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