Collapsed building in Port Harcourt

…So far 11 persons rescued alive

…Rescue operation on going

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

A nine-storey building under construction just collapsed at Woji GRA phase Two,Port Harcourt, Rivers State and workers said no fewer than 200 persons have been trapped.

Our correspondent learnt authoritatively that at the time of filiing this report that so far 11 persons have been rescued alive.

Simeon Nwakaudu,the Special Assistant on Electronic Media to Governor Nyesom Wike confirmed the number while speaking exclusively to our Correspondent that it was difficult to ascertain the actual number of persons trapped.

Rescue operation is going on at time of filing the report.There are already two cranes trying to pull out the concrete slabs that have trapped many of the workers

Commissioner for Information and communications, Mr Emman Okah,who spoke to our Correspondent from the site of the collapsed building said it was difficult to ascertain the number of those trapped but that the major concern of Emergency Agencies is to see how victims can be rescued alive.

However, members of Nigerian Defence Safety Corps,NSCDC,Police,National Emergency Agency, NEMA,Ambulances, Red Cross and two cranes were already on site for the rescue.

One of the workers who narrowly escaped death and gave his name as Uche said that he had finished from site but dashed out to freshen up hoping to later come back and collect his days’ pay only find that the building he just left had collapsed.

“It is difficult to estimate the number of persons trapped. We have eight machines working in each floor. And on each machines we have 22 persons attached to it.In fact we should be more than 200 persons at site “.