Victims of Ochanja building collapse get N.7m for assistance from market leadership

27 survivors building collapse at the Ochanja market have received a total sum of N700,000.00 from the leadership of the market .

This is coming as hospitals providing medical attention to the victims have stopped further treatment of those victims on the ground that they cannot afford to pay for the medicare.

According to the spokesman of the victims Mr Simon Chijioke “those hospitals are no longer treating us because there is no money to pay for that and we have resigned to fate waiting for the promise of the governor to off set our medical bills” he said

Similarly against the initial report that six persons died as a result of the building collapse two more persons died at a private hospital where they were rushed to on that fateful day.

Confirming this development, Mr Simon Chijioke who fell from the two storey building and had a fracture in the process from Uzouwanni in Enugu state but operates from Nnewi town said ;

“The market leaders through their women wing I voted us to Ochanja that is those that were injured in that building collapse and they gave twenty seven of us N20,000.00 and some N23,000.00 each to take care of our medical expenses”

“They made sure that everyone of us got something and it is not the amount that matters but the heart and intention to assist us and we commend them for that.”

Chijioke however said that the number of those working at the site before the building collapsed was 125 persons adding that despite the six persons confirmed death two more persons later died at White Chapel Hospital Onitsha.

Narrating his escaped from the collapsed two store building at Ochanja Simon Chijioke said ;

“I was up there working on the parapet when I heard a laud noise of people shouting from the down stairs and I looked down and saw someone shouting at me to find my way that the building is collapsing”

“One of my phone’s not as ringing and I tried to find a better places to save myself from falling and it was then that I lost my other phone and when it became clear that I may get killed I had to jump from the upstairs and fell down”

“They took me to the White Chapel Hospital along with two other victims but one died at the hospital when we got there and the other one died two days after when I was able to contact his elder brother on phone”

Chairman of Onitsha South local government area Chief Emeka Joseph Orji explained that the compilation of the list of victims have been concluded adding that last minute arrangements have been done for the payment.

“You all know that government has a process and the governor had directed us to compile the their names which we have done and we appeal to those hospitals to continue to provide them with the best medical attention available and we guarantee those medical institutions that all would be settled” he said.