Dozens of people were feared trapped after a two-storey building still under construction, housing traders and shop owners collapsed at the Eke Amawbia market in Awka, the Anambra State capital, on Thursday, 4 July, 2024.
Although the casualty figure has not been officially ascertained, it was gathered that lives might have been lost in the incident and many are feared trapped under the rubble.
Eyewitnesses, who said the incident happened at about noon, creating panic among some of the traders and residents in the area, added that the two-storey building suddenly crumbled, burying numerous traders beneath the debris.
As of the time of filing this report, one person had been rescued and rushed to Amawbia Maternity Home for urgent medical attention, but many more are believed to be trapped inside the wreckage.
Some police officers have arrived at the scene to coordinate rescue efforts and maintain order.
Traders who witnessed the collapse blamed the disaster on substandard engineering work, alleging that the building’s structural integrity had been compromised.
